A Rip in Time
by Kkoko88
Summary: As Sora enters the world of Arendelle, he is caught up in a trap laid by Xehanort, one that leads through time. Upon finding himself in the past, Sora struggles to understand what's going on, like what his connection is to Ventus, a boy who can also wield the keyblade. On top of this, he must find a way to return through the rip in time.
1. A Frozen World

Kingdom Hearts: A Rip in Time

Sora's eyes swiveled around the town, focusing on all of the freezing-looking townspeople. "What could have happened here? None of these people look dressed in the slightest for cold weather, as if all this snow and ice isn't supposed to be here right now…" He thought aloud, forgetting that Donald and Goofy weren't with him at the moment. They were busy with King Mickey, taking care of issues back in their home world.

After a moment, he shivered with cold, even though his clothes had changed drastically. Now, he had a warm jacket lined with soft fur and puffy pants, as well as mittens and boots more suited to the weather. Even with the warm clothes, he could feel the temperature dropping little by little the longer he stayed, but he couldn't leave yet.

Walking through the town, Sora ducked back just in time to avoid a horse and its rider charging down the cobblestone streets and toward a forest. "What was that about? Maybe it has to do with the weather…" He asked, turning to look where the rider had come from. There stood a great castle, with a courtyard in front. "That's as good a place to start as any," he said, starting toward the castle, where he saw a young man with brownish-red hair handing out blankets and coats to those who had none.

The man noticed Sora walking up to the square and sized him up, seeing that the boy didn't need any warm clothing. A dark glint flickered behind his eyes, but it disappeared just before Sora reached him. "Can I help you? You seem to be dressed warmly enough, but as Princess Ana entrusted the care of the citizens of Arendelle to me, I must see to all of Arendelle's subjects," he explained, flashing a smile at Sora, who smiled back.

"I don't think I need anything, but could you tell me what happened here? None of the people here seem prepared for this cold at all," Sora replied, looking around at the miserable and cold citizens carrying stacks of firewood and clothes. "Also, is there any way I can help?" He added, wanting to assist in any way he could.

"Well, to start, I'm Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, and we were all here to attend the coronation of the new queen of Arendelle. The queen, Princess Ana's sister, cursed the land with eternal winter, so everyone here was caught unawares. As we're engaged, Princess Ana left the kingdom in my care while she's gone. I don't think there's anything you could do though… unless you were to bring the princess back. I'm worried that her sister will hurt her, so it wo— where are you going?" Hans broke off as Sora took off running in the same direction the horseback rider had gone earlier. _So Xehanort was right… The boy did come after all, and he will fall into our trap,_ the prince thought, watching the young keyblade wielder grow smaller and smaller in the distance.


	2. Mouse in a Trap

Sora breathed in the cold, crisp air of the mountain, resting for a moment. He had been following the tracks of the princess's horse for a while, but upon finding the horse in question (riderless, of course), he started following the smoke rising from a chimney in the distance. "I wonder what this princess is like," he wondered, staring at the forbidding mountain in the distance. "From what I know so far, she seems brave and kind, at the very least…"

He was broken from his thoughts by the sight of a young woman waddling along in a frozen dress. "Hey! Do you need any help?" Sora called out, sprinting as quickly as he could through the deep snow drifts. The girl, shivering uncontrollably, turned toward the sound of Sora's voice. "You look like you're frozen over… Please, take my jacket, at least until we reach the cottage over there," he added, pulling his coat and wrapping it around the stranger before she could say no.

The girl smiled with gratitude, her shivers starting to subside. After an eternity, she replied, "Th-thank you so much. You didn't even know who I was, yet you still helped me. Anyway, my name's Anna, princess of Arendelle. What's yours?" She increased her pace, heading for the small store ahead of them. "Also, won't you be cold?" She added, flashing her bright blue eyes at Sora.

"Wait, you're the princess? I've been looking for you! Prince Hans sent me to make sure you were okay! And my name's Sora, but I'll be fine. We're almost there, see? I couldn't let you freeze when I've been asked to protect you and bring you back safely. Also, what's with the streak in your hair?" Sora answered, both incredulously and gallantly. He hadn't been able to help it, but he started to shiver when he told Anna that he'd be alright. By that point they were almost thirty feet from the cottage, although it felt like much more as the cold intensified, the temperature much lower than when Sora had left Arendelle.

Anna laughed, thinking of her fiancée warmly and said, "I am the princess, but don't worry about treating me like it," she paused, blushing slightly, before continuing, "That's just like Hans though, sending someone to take care of me…" When she saw the sign for the store, she read it aloud, "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post. Ooh, and sauna!" Sora laughed, seeing how much the thought of the sauna excited Anna, but she didn't seem to notice. Making her way up the steps, she opened the door, waiting for Sora to go first. She followed him inside a moment later, seeing his shivers disappear as the heat of the small shop warmed him. "And to answer your question about my hair, it's always been like that, ever since I was born," she added, playing with her braids as she spoke.

She turned to the shopkeeper then, pulling Sora's jacket off and returning it to him. "Yoo-hoo, big summer blowout: half-off on swimsuits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention. Yah?" The big man at the desk said with a thick accent, holding up a bottle filled with said sun balm.

Anna tried not to be rude, but she asked, "Great, but how about boots? Winter boots and dresses?" Her face fell when she was directed to the "winter department," which was comprised of a pair of snowshoes, a pickaxe, a rope, a dress, and a pair of boots. After a moment, one of the snowshoes fell on its side, while the other stayed propped up.

"At least that dress looks like it'll fit you," Sora said, attempting to cheer Anna up. "And it looks like it'll suit you as well!" Sora's seemingly eternal bright side shone, working its magic. Just then, a snow-covered man with blond hair made his way into the store and pulled the rope and pickaxe from the wall. He also proceeded to grab a bag of carrots from behind Anna and Sora, gruffly pushing past them.

A long story short, the man let slip a comment about the shopkeeper being a crook, and he was kicked out of the shop as a result. Sora noticed an unusual look in Anna's eyes, most likely stemming from a comment now kicked out man had made. He had said that the storm had come from the North Mountain, but he hadn't said much else. "Why don't we go with him up to the North Mountain?" Sora asked, gesturing to the tools that were still on the counter. "I can pay for the tools and carrots," he added with a grin. After a moment, he paid the shopkeeper and stepped aside, waiting for Anna to pay and change into the warmer dress and boots.

"Okay, and I think I have an idea of where he went," Anna said, pushing the door open and making her way into the snow. She could hear singing coming from a barn just across the way. "I knew it." As the song ended Anna and Sora stepped in and said together, "Nice duet."

Both Kristoff and Sven, the reindeer, sat up with a start before leaning back again. "Oh, it's just you two. What do you want?" Kristoff replied.

"We want you to take us up the North Mountain," Sora replied, closing the door behind them.

"I don't take people places," Kristoff answered, pushing his hat down over his eyes.

"Let me rephrase that," Anna said, pulling the bag of supplies from Sora and tossing them at Kristoff. He sat up again and opened the bag, looking inside. "Take us up the North Mountain, please." Backing up their plea, Anna added, "Please, I know how to stop this winter."

Kristoff sighed, not believing her. He lay back down on the hay and pulled the hat down over his eyes yet again. "We leave at dawn… and you forgot the carrots for Sven," he said, not bothering to sit back up, at least until another bag smacked him in the face.

"Oops, sorry. Sorry, I didn't…" Anna stopped and cleared her throat before continuing, "We leave now, right now." With that, she and Sora stepped out into the snow to wait, not giving Kristoff much of a choice. Watching for a second, Kristoff pulled a carrot from the bag and offered it to Sven, who took a bite, before taking a bite of his own.

Soon enough, the trio was on the sled, being pulled by Sven, and they were on their way. After some banter, Kristoff stopped the sled, sensing something. Sora stopped talking, sensing it as well. On the other hand, Anna hadn't noticed, and Kristoff stopped her by putting his hand over her mouth. "Shh…" Kristoff said, lifting a lantern up and turning to look behind them. "Sven, go! Go!" He cried out as black heartless wolves leapt out of the darkness and began to chase them. The wolves had the heartless emblem upon their chests, and their eyes glowed bright yellow with malice.

"Heartless!" Sora shouted, standing up and summoning his keyblade. As wolves got closer, he knocked them back, pausing for a moment when Anna used Kristoff's lute to hit another heartless, barely missing Kristoff's head. Just then, Kristoff was pulled off the sled by a heartless, but he managed to grab onto a rope trailing from the sled. Sora and Anna lit a blanket on fire and tossed it behind the sled to frighten off the heartless wolves, giving Kristoff a chance to pull himself back into the sled.

"You almost set me on fire!" Kristoff complained, ignoring the enemy for a moment.

"But we didn't!" Anna replied. While the two were arguing, Sora noticed a cliff ahead of them, and Anna quickly followed his gaze. "Get ready to jump, Sven!" With his attention diverted, Sora didn't notice a slightly larger heartless wolf catch up to the sled before it pulled him off. "Sora!" Anna cried out, hearing Sora's cry of surprise.

Sora had already stood up, keyblade raised against the wolves. "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! Find your sister and bring summer back!" He called out, turning his back on the sled and the cliff.

"You don't tell Sven what to do!" Kristoff shouted, lifting Anna up. "I do! Sora, make sure you don't get hurt!" He then tossed her onto the reindeer. "Jump, Sven!" With that, he cut Sven's harness and jumped after them, barely reaching the other side of the cliff. He looked down for a moment, seeing the flaming wreckage of his sled. "Aww… but I just paid it off…" he whined, just as an axe with a rope landed in front of him.

"Grab on!" Anna's voice called out, and she, with Sven's help, pulled Kristoff up to safer ground. The two looked back, unable to see Sora and the heartless. "I hope he's alright…" Anna thought aloud, searching for any signs of the keyblade wielder.

On the other side of the cliff, Sora had taken down a number of the heartless, but they just kept coming. On top of that, there was the leader, the big one that had pulled him down. In his peripheral vision, Sora could see movement through the snow covered forest. Riders on horseback were coming closer, and the whizz of crossbow bolts sounded as they struck home in the heartless. "Need any help?" A familiar voice rang out, its owner coming into view on horseback.

Sora looked up, smiling gratefully. "A bit of help is always welcome!" He answered, looking up at Prince Hans. The rest of the heartless melted away, seeing that their master had arrived…

"Where is Princess Anna? Did you find her?" Hans asked, motioning for a servant to bring one of the spare horses to Sora.

"I did find her. She was on her way to the North Mountain with Kristoff, Sven, and me, but we were separated at the cliff up ahead," Sora explained, pulling himself up onto the horse. "She's going to talk to her sister, the queen." Sora dematerialized his keyblade, seeing that the horse was slightly spooked by it.

Hans smiled, a hidden glint in his eyes. The boy was walking right into the trap, just like Xehanort had said he would. "That's good to hear… You must be tired after fighting those creatures, Sora. Why don't you return to the castle and rest until the princess returns? I'm sure she'll be glad to see you again. We'll be continuing on to the North Mountain, but one of the servants can escort you back," Hans suggested, and one of the servants urged his horse forward to meet Sora's.

Sora didn't want to go back, but he thought Anna would be fine with Kristoff, Sven, and Hans looking out for her. "Okay, I guess I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you, Prince Hans," he finally replied, turning his horse to follow the servant.

"Of course, stay safe on your trip back down," Hans replied. Then the two groups headed their separate ways. The ride down felt much shorter than coming up had, but Sora had a feeling it was because he was on a horse this time. The temperature was definitely dropping more and more, Sora noticed. He was starting to feel it even through the thick layers of his clothes now, and he shivered slightly, his breath coming out in white puffs.

"Sure is cold out here," he commented, but the servant leading him didn't reply. Perhaps he was just too cold to reply or he hadn't heard Sora. Sora didn't get the chance to reply because the castle gates were opening for them, and the two hurried inside, where it was a bit warmer than out in the open air. From that point on, all Sora could do was wait. He sat in front of a fire, standing every once in a while to look out the window in search of signs of Anna returning. "Hmm… I hope everything's going okay…" he murmured, looking out for what felt like the thousandth time. Several hours had passed, and Anna still hadn't returned.

About fifteen minutes later, Sora heard a commotion in the castle and checked the window again. Hans and the rest of his group had returned, and they had someone with them. It wasn't Anna though. Sora couldn't tell who it was, but she was unconscious and had guards surrounding her horse.

Sora rushed down to the entrance hall of the castle, hoping he just hadn't seen Anna. "Prince Hans, you're back! What's the news? And where's Anna?" Sora asked as they came through the door. Now that he had a closer look, Sora saw that the girl with them was wearing a very fine dress, one that looked as if it had been made of ice itself. "Is that the queen?"

"Anna was nowhere to be seen at Queen Elsa's castle, so we had assumed she'd returned. If she hasn't, we don't know where she is. And yes, this is the queen. We managed to capture her, and we'll be taking her to a cell in a moment," Hans answered. At Hans's signal, two guards carried Elsa off toward another area of the castle. "Oh, Sora? Would you mind coming with me for a moment? I need to speak with you," Hans added, stepping away into another corridor.

Sora, slightly confused, followed the prince. "Sure, but is something wrong? Do you need my help?" He asked, but Hans didn't reply until they had reached the far end of the castle, where few servants worked.

"I believe that Queen Elsa may have done something to Princess Anna's heart. I noticed that you bear the keyblade, and I think you may be the only one capable of saving her," Hans finally answered, putting a layer of nervousness into his voice. He turned to look out the window, a condescending smile hidden from Sora.

"Of course I'll help!" Sora promised. "However I can help, I'll do it!" He clenched a fist, a determined look crossing his face. "What can I do?"

Hans turned, the picture of a worried fiancée, and said, "The keyhole to her heart lies in this room. Unlock it, and you should be able to help her." Before Hans had even finished Sora had turned and burst into the room, looking around for the keyhole. "Hook, line, and sinker," Hans muttered under his breath. Sora's eyes locked onto the keyhole, and he summoned his keyblade, ready to unlock it. A beam of light shot from the keyblade as Sora unlocked the keyhole, just as he realized that the keyhole didn't feel right. It felt different from all of the other locks he'd unlocked, and he tried to stop. "It's no use trying to escape. The trap has already been sprung, young keyblade wielder. All I had to do was lead you to it," Hans called out.

"What? What do you mean?" Sora asked, struggling to move. Tendrils of darkness began to snake out of the keyhole, wrapping around Sora and slowly pulling him in.

"What do I mean? I mean that Xehanort knew you were coming here and saw it as the perfect chance to break you. He's going to destroy everything and everyone you care about, and you won't be able to do a thing about it," Hans explained, smiling coldly. "Anyway, you won't be pulled in for a while yet, so I'll be off. I have certain matters that I need to attend to." With that, Hans walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The tendrils were unyielding, but Hans hadn't been lying. They weren't exactly pulling Sora in quickly. "Wait! What about Anna? What about her heart?" Sora shouted, but Hans didn't return. After a moment or two, Sora decided that Hans had just been bluffing to trick him, but he still had the feeling that something was wrong with Anna. "Please, can anyone hear me?! You need to stop Prince Hans! Please!" Sora tried just as he was pulled an inch or two forward by the tendrils. He kept shouting, hoping that someone would hear him.

Originally, Sora was around twelve feet from the keyhole, but he had been pulled to around six feet now. The tendrils were pulling more forcefully the closer he got, but Sora kept calling out. Finally, he heard the door handle turn and someone walk in. Craning his head, Sora looked at the person who had entered. "You heard me! Please, you have to reach Anna and tell her that Hans is evil! He's been tricking us this whole time, and he trapped me here!" Sora explained, watching as the snowman moved more into his line of vision.

"Hans is evil? Oh no! But Anna needs true love's kiss to thaw her heart! Here, I'll help you get out of there, and we'll go help her!" Olaf replied, pulling at the tendrils. In an instant, he was thrown back by the darkness in the tendrils. "Hmm… these are really strong. By the way, my name's Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

Sora put on a smile and said, "My name's Sora. It's nice to meet you, but I don't think anyone can get me out of this… Please, Anna needs help more than I do if her heart's been frozen. Go help her, okay? I'll be fine here!"

The tendrils dragged Sora further forward, and Olaf watched, worried. "Okay, but we'll be back to help you really soon! Don't let yourself get pulled into there!" Olaf commanded, hurrying to help Anna.

With Olaf gone, the tendrils eased off a bit, barely pulling. After several minutes, Sora noticed a figure in armor next to him. The boy pulled his helmet off, revealing spiky blond hair and blue eyes. "Roxas? Is that you? No, something's different…" Sora said, unsure.

The boy shook his head, closing his eyes. "No, I am not Roxas, but you saved me years ago. I can't save you from this trap, but I can throw your course off by a bit. Instead of going forward, you'll go backward. And, I'll slow down the time it'll take for you to be pulled in, at least until the people you've met here arrive," he disclosed, smiling slightly. "You may want to, but change as little as you can, or everything might be ruined."

Sora felt the pull lessen even more, and his eyes drifted toward the boy, who was almost transparent now. "Thank you, but can you explain more? What do you mean by changing things?"

The boy shook his head, his eyes still closed. "I'm sorry, Sora. I must return to sleep's embrace, but you'll understand. You've faced a similar situation in your travels with Goofy and Donald…" the boy trailed off, fading away into nothingness. One last hint of his voice carried though, "Leave any message you want Riku or Kairi to hear with the inhabitants of this world… They'll come after… you…" Every trace that the boy had been there was gone now, wiped away.

Around two feet from the keyhole, Sora heard a group coming his way, but with those sounds, he was being dragged to the keyhole. "Sora? Sora! Don't worry, we'll get you out!" Anna called, running to him. Sora now noticed that the air was warmer, and the landscape outside the window was no longer white.

"It's no use, Anna. I think some friends of mine may come looking for me. Do you think you could give them a message for me?" Sora asked, finally seeing the other side of the keyhole. It looked almost exactly like the room he was in, with stone floors and the window in the same place, but everything in the keyhole looked newer and less worn.

"We're going to help you out of this, Sora, so I won't need to give a message to your friends," Anna argued, reaching for a tendril. She flinched as she was knocked down. "Elsa, is there anything you can do?" Anna inquired, looking at her sister hopefully.

"Maybe…" was the only reply as Elsa raised her hands to freeze the tendrils. They shattered reformed around Sora. "I'm sorry, Anna. I don't think I can help…" she responded. "Sora, what's your message? We'll be sure to give it to your friends."

"Tell Riku and Kairi that Xehanort laid a trap and I fell into it. A boy appeared to me and told me that he couldn't help me escape the trap, but he was able to adjust the trap to send me somewhere different than Xehanort intended. There's still a chance to get a step ahead of him, I know it! Hans should know more about the trap, so he'll be your best chance of finding me. I hope to see you soon, and I won't stop looking for you until I do! Your friend, Sora," Sora said, going slowly enough for a servant to write down his message. "And I hope to see all of you again soon, Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, Anna!" Sora managed to get out before he fell through the keyhole.


	3. The Land of Departure

As soon as he landed, Sora stood up and rushed to the remnants of the keyhole, seeing a last glimpse of Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf. "I guess I really am stuck here… I may as well take a look around," he spoke, pushing his way through the door into the hallway. It had been day, but looking out a window revealed that it was night. "Huh, that's pretty weird, but maybe time in this world is different than in Arendelle…" Sora continued through the hallways of the castle, everything seeming more and more familiar the further he walked. Eventually he came upon a large hall, filled with snow. Two little girls, around four and five years old, ran around, playing. There was a snowman off to the side, and Sora quickly recognized it as Olaf. The two girls were distinguishable as well, one with hair as white as snow and the other with reddish brown hair.

They were giggling and sliding around on the icy ground, and Sora was about to step forward and talk to them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a tall girl, maybe seventeen, with blue hair and eyes. She wore black shorts and a top, a blue half-skirt, white sleeves with gray gloves, and a slight smile. On her shirt was a pink fabric in a cross, held together by an unfamiliar symbol, and she had black and silver shoes with hooks. "We can't interfere with the people of the different worlds, not if we can help it," she explained. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name's Aqua, and the others are waiting back in the Land of Departure. The master noticed a disturbance here and sent me to investigate. I didn't think I'd find a keyblade wielder, but that's why I was sent here, after all."

"It's nice to meet you, Aqua. I'm Sora, but I wasn't exactly planning on coming here in the first place, so I guess we're both a bit surprised," Sora responded. "I don't really know what's going on, but I fell into a trap and found myself here…" Could this be the past? Aqua seemed so familiar, but Sora's memories felt inconsistent, blurred, like they weren't set in stone. He definitely recognized Elsa and Anna, even though they were so young, and Sora had the feeling he and Aqua had met before, even if it were just for a moment.

"A trap? Who set it?" Aqua asked but continued, "Never mind, you can explain when we're all together. Together, I'm sure we can help you." She proceeded to pull Sora from the room, silently shutting the double doors behind them. "How to get you there though… You don't have armor like I do, meaning you won't be protected from the darkness if I take you on my keyblade rider…" Aqua and Sora made their way out into the open air, where the stars shone brightly down upon the castle and surrounding area.

As if on cue, an armored man flew down to the ground in front of them, and the vehicle he was riding disappeared, reforming into a keyblade. His armor, red and brown, disappeared in a flash of light, revealing spiky brown hair, blue eyes, tan pants and a black shirt, along with a red fabric cross. There was a symbol similar to Aqua's, but it was on his belt. On his left shoulder was an armor shoulder piece that ran down to a black glove on his left hand.

"Hey Aqua! The master sent me, saying something about you needing this," the man said, holding out a yellow and midnight blue shoulder piece ((A/N It's basically Ven's but with a yellow and blue color scheme)). After a moment, he tossed it lightly to Sora, who fumbled for a moment before catching it. "I'm Terra. Good to meet you."

"It's Sora. Nice to meet you too," the younger keyblade wielder responded, grinning. He took a closer look at the armor now. "Is this like the armor you just had on?" Sora asked, and Terra nodded. Now looking at Aqua, he asked another question, "Would you help me put it on?" Sora didn't even finish before Aqua was helping him snap the piece into place on his left shoulder.

"There, it's on, and it's a perfect fit too!" Aqua said cheerily. "We'll be back in a bit, Terra. I'll just explain how the armor works, and then we'll ride over on my keyblade rider. You can fill Ven and the master in on the gist of the situation," she said, gesturing for Terra to go on ahead.

"Sure, just don't take too long. You know how the master can get when we're away too long," Terra warned before summoning his armor and keyblade rider. As he flew off into the sky, he waved casually and was gone.

"Okay, Sora. The basic purpose of the armor is to protect you from darkness when you're travelling through the Lanes Between, but they're armor, meaning they can soften blows and protect you. To summon it, you put your hand to your armor piece and focus on your heart and the things you want to protect. Got it? How about you give it a try now?" Aqua explained, waiting for Sora to absorb everything before asking the questions.

"I think I understand," Sora answered, slightly nervous and also slightly excited. "Okay, here goes nothing." He raised his right arm to the shoulder piece and focused on what he wished to protect. There were Riku, Kairi, and the rest of his friends, as well as all the different worlds, and then Sora felt it. He blinked for a moment seeing the gold and dark blue armor materialize in a flash of light ((A/N Again, it's the same style as Ven's but there's gold in all of the blue areas and midnight blue in all of the yellow areas)). "Wow, I did it! Wait till I show Riku and Kairi this!"

Aqua laughed slightly, reminded for a moment of Ven whenever he learned new techniques or moves. "That's perfect, Sora. I'm pretty surprised, actually. It took Terra, Ven, and me several attempts before we could even partially summon our armor. We should get going though, now that you have your armor for interworld travel," she praised, bringing out her own armor. With a flourish, she summoned her keyblade rider and climbed on, helping Sora hold on behind her. Soon, they began the descent into the Land of Departure, where a small welcoming party waited for them.

"Aqua, you've returned, and with a guest," an older man commented as Aqua and Sora dropped to the ground. He wore relatively simple clothing, a black shirt with slightly off white pants and a black armor belt that had the same symbol as Aqua and Terra's clothes had. Across the shirt was the same cross, although his was gray. On top of those was a white haori with dull red strips along the edges. He wore a stern, yet kind, expression, and he had a black mustache and beard. His hair was black and mostly pulled up, doing nothing to hide the scar across his right eye and left cheek. "Hello, young keyblade wielder. I am Master Eraqus, and these are my students, although you've already met two of them. This is Ventus, my third student," he added, introducing himself and Ventus to Sora.

"Hey, it's cool to meet you, especially since there aren't a lot of keyblade wielders around anymore. Also, you can call me Ven, if you'd like," Ven said, smiling. Yet again came the feeling that Sora knew Ven, but he couldn't quite place it. The armored boy from Arendelle who had to go back to sleep after helping Sora! That must have been it! The two seemed to be one and the same! The only difference was that Ven wasn't wearing his armor this time around. He had a black and white shirt, a black fabric cross like the others, dark gray pants with lighter gray patches, a small armor shoulder piece, and a checkered bracelet. His eyes were bright blue, and his spiky blond hair fell slightly into his face. But… that didn't feel like all of it. Sora knew Ven from something else…

"My name's Sora. It's great to meet all of you!" Sora replied cheerfully. Then, a thought came to him. "By the way, how did all of you know I'm a keyblade wielder without me telling you or using my keyblade in front of you?" He asked, and the three seemed surprised. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing seems to be wrong, Sora. If I may ask, who were you trained by? Just as I teach these three, other keyblade wielders are taught by their own master, sometimes the one who gave them the keyblade, sometimes not. That master should have taught you about other keyblade wielders and sensing them," Master Eraqus replied, asking a question of his own.

Sora shook his head for a moment and answered, "I never had a master. I taught myself everything I know about the keyblade through my travels and fights against… hmm… who was it again? My memories are just a bit foggy right now, I'm sorry. I can't remember much, for some reason…"

Master Eraqus thought for a moment before dismissing his students, "Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, why don't the three of you go and spar in the training grounds while I speak with Sora. We shouldn't be long." The three looked curiously at Sora and their master, but they obeyed. Once the trio was out of earshot, Master Eraqus asked, "Sora, what happened prior to Aqua finding you in Arendelle? Were you pulled through a keyhole?"

"How did you know? That's one of the only truly clear things I can remember right now…" Sora replied, focusing on his memories. At times, they seemed clear, like when he had summoned his armor, but other times, he could barely remember anything at all, like just now.

"I thought so… Hmm… Who would have the skill and power necessary to pull someone through time without a version of themselves present?" Master Eraqus murmured too quietly for Sora to hear. "Sora, you must be very careful about what you do while you're here in this time. I believe you've been pulled through a rip in time into the past. Your past is unstable, uncertain right now. Some actions will cause it to change and shift, which is why you're having trouble with your memories," he explained, watching Sora carefully. "For now, I would recommend that you stay with us and learn more about being a keyblade wielder. While you do, I'll work on finding another rip in time, but they're very rare, almost impossible to find and even more difficult to create. It may be a while before you can return to your time…"

Sora nodded sadly, desperately trying to think of a way out of this but coming up with nothing. Two figures cleared in his memories now, Riku and Kairi. They would be annoyed if he just gave up like this. "Okay! I'll train my hardest while I'm here and go home even stronger!" Sora shouted, raising his fist into the sky. There was no way he would disappoint Riku and Kairi when he returned.

"Why don't we join Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, now that we're finished with our conversation? I'd like to evaluate your fighting style and get an idea of what you need to improve on," Master Eraqus suggested, leading the way to the training grounds.

Sora nodded with a grin. "Sure, I'd love to get started!" He agreed, watching as the other three came into view. "Woah…" He exclaimed as Terra and Aqua clashed. The two were a flurry of motion, keyblade on keyblade. Just as it seemed one would land a hit, the other would dodge or knock the blade to the side. At one point, Aqua stopped moving, aiming her keyblade and locking on. Before Terra could reach her, a barrage of bubbles came rushing out. Terra managed to dodge some of them, but he couldn't avoid them all. "Awesome!" Sora commented as Master Eraqus stepped forward.

"Good work, you both performed excellently, although you must not forget what we've been working on. For now, take a rest. Sora will be joining us for the time being, so I'd like to test his current skills. Ventus, will you spar with him?" Master Eraqus asked, but Ven was up before the master had even finished.

"Of course, master," he replied, summoning his keyblade and stepping into the clearing. "Sora, you ready?" In response, Sora summoned his own keyblade and joined Ven.

"Let's do this!" Sora said, looking Ven in the eye. With that, the two rushed at each other, and the sparks flew. Sora wasn't used to fighting anyone with a reversed grip, but it didn't take him long to adjust for that. He blocked one attack and lunged forward, slashing at Ven's left side, but Ven sidestepped and attacked Sora's unprotected side and back. Sora only just managed to block it in time, twisting to the side with his keyblade pushing against Ven's. "You're good, Ven!" Sora got out, the two keyblades locked together.

Aqua, Terra, and Master Eraqus watched from the side, sitting on a bench together. "He's pretty good, considering he was never trained by anyone," Terra commented, keeping an eye on Sora's footing and focus. Master Eraqus nodded, noting small flaws and imperfections in his newest student's technique.

"He is, but I have a feeling that Sora's seen quite a bit of action…" the master replied. Sora and Ven were very evenly matched, more so than he had ever seen before. Step for step and attack for attack, they were always in tune.

"On top of that, it looks like he's a natural. He was able to summon his armor on his first try, much faster than any of us were able to," Aqua added, her eyes rooted on the match. Master Eraqus had a feeling that Aqua could tell that the two were in sync as well, but she wouldn't know why.

Master Eraqus stood up, a smile on his face. "That's enough for now. I've seen enough. Let's all wash up and get ready for dinner now. Ventus and Terra, Sora can have the third room in your hallway. Would you show him the way?" He finished, standing up from the bench.

"Yeah, we'll do that," Terra promised. A moment later, they all started toward the castle. Sora followed the friends, and Master Eraqus wasn't far behind.

After a moment, Sora caught up and held his hand out. "That was a great fight, Ven! I'm looking forward to next time!" He said, and Ven shook the hand.

"I'm looking forward to it too! You're a strong fighter," Ven replied, smiling. "If you're training with us, we'll all practice with each other a lot, so be prepared. Aqua and Terra are really strong. Next year, Master Eraqus thinks they'll both be ready to take the Mark of Mastery exam, so they're working really hard to prove that they can do it."

That was when Terra leaned in and assured, "I'm sure you're going to make it soon too, Ven. You've been training with us for three years now, and you've really grown stronger." He stepped forward and opened the door to the castle, waiting for the others to go through first before letting the door slide closed behind them.

Master Eraqus seemed faintly amused by the conversation, but he kept his expression calm as he left for his own wing of the castle. Without turning back, he reminded, "Don't forget, dinner will be ready in forty-five minutes. We're having burgers tonight."

Ven let out a shout and jumped up into the air. "Yes! The master makes the best burgers!" He shouted enthusiastically, and Aqua and Terra smiled.

"He definitely does, I can't deny it," Aqua agreed. Terra smirked slightly, hearing Aqua's stomach growl slightly. It growled more loudly this time, and he let out a small laugh. "You're hungry too, Terra. I can tell," Aqua added just as Terra's stomach rumbled.

"Woah, was that an earthquake?" Sora asked, joining in. He was about to make another joke when the three stopped at an intersection of halls. Sora almost bumped into Terra, but he managed to stop just in time. "Is something up?"

Aqua smiled warmly before replying, "No, but my room is this way. The boys' rooms are down that hall." Aqua pointed for a moment and turned to go down the hall. "I'll see you all in a bit, okay?" She asked, turning around at the corner to hear the answers.

"Sure," "Of course," and "You got it" came momentarily after that, and the boys went down to their own rooms.

"Hey Sora, this is your room," Ven said, passing two other doors before stopping in front of the third room in the corridor. "Terra and I need to get ready also, but everything you need should be in there already. If anything IS missing, just let any of us know, and we'll see about getting it. Dinner's in forty minutes now, but it's okay to be a minute or two late." Ven gave Sora a knowing look and turned slightly. "I need to get ready too, so I'll be in my room if you need me."

With that, he turned and stepped into the next room over, closing the door behind him. "Thanks, Ven," Sora said, just loud enough to be heard through the door. "I guess this's my room for now, but I know that I'm going to get home soon…" He murmured, opening the door to his room.

At the same time- Undisclosed Location

"Master Xehanort, do you know who the new addition is? Something about him seems… out of place, as if he doesn't belong with them…" A boy in black and red suit asked to an older man. The boy's features were concealed by a black mask, but over the suit, he wore a half-skirt with white and purple. His voice teemed with malice and darkness…

"He is an unexpected factor, but I believe I know who he is and what purpose he serves. Your senses are correct in believing that he doesn't have a place among them. That means he cannot interfere, or he risks changing everything," the older man replied, a smug half-smile on his face. He wore a long white shirt over a pair of black pants, and a heavy black coat hung on top, reaching almost to his feet. The pants were tucked into his black boots, and white gloves covered the cuffs of his coat. He had tan skin with a silver goatee, and his golden eyes watched as the boy went from wandered around his room in the Land of Departure. The young keyblade wielder may have gone the wrong direction through time, but Xehanort realized that this could be useful as well. "He is one of the thirteen, and this will only prepare him further for what is to come."

The boy crossed his arms and leaned back against a wall, looking at the image. "Hmph, he doesn't look like anything special to me…" He complained.

"Oh, he's very special. He'll be one of the most powerful of the thirteen," the older man replied, turning away from the images. He knew that comment would get under Vanitas's skin, and in turn, Vanitas would push Sora.

((A/N I thought I should clarify that Sora's been taken back 13 years, to a year before the events of KH BBS. I can't say much, but I didn't think it would be as interesting if Sora didn't get to really know the characters from BBS. I know this chapter had a lot of descriptions and not much action, but good stories aren't all action. They have a little of everything. Anyway, I love seeing all of your reviews, follows, and favorites, and I can't wait for more! Right now, I'm really in the groove for this story, so I'll be updating pretty often, although school is starting soon, so there won't be time for constant updating. Okay, I'll wrap it up now with a big THANK YOU! I'm so happy to see that people are reading this, even skimming it. All I care about is that you thought my story was even remotely interesting enough to give a glance over. Kkoko88))


	4. Training---Forming a Plan

((A/N Since it's an anonymous review, I can't directly reply to it, but I thought I may as well say that I understand what you're saying about Sora's power level, but he also hasn't learned many of the techniques and skills that Aqua, Terra, and Ven possess. Another thing, Aqua, Terra, and Ven have been training for years, versus Sora's almost two years (including the year where he's asleep), so they're all much more fine-tuned than he is. Also, this is my first story, so I'll try not to do author notes in the middle of the story. Anyway, on to the story.))

Several days had passed since Sora had first arrived in the Land of Departure, and Master Eraqus had yet to go into further detail about the rips in time. Sora had tried to ask more, but the master was adamant about keeping it secret for the time being. "Sora, I promise to explain more, but I need to look into a few things first. I've sent a message to Master Yen Sid about the matter, and his reply should come soon," the master answered calmly, knowing how Sora felt. "We'll be going over the basics of the history of keyblade wielders in class today, but I have more in depth history books if you'd like to learn more afterward. Once we've covered the overview, we'll be looking into another topic, the Mark of Mastery exams," he explained, trying to turn Sora's attention away from the first topic.

Sora grinned excitedly. "That sounds great, master! I'm looking forward to it!" He exclaimed, following the master into the small classroom, where the others awaited them. "Good morning, everyone," Sora greeted, seeing Ven's half-asleep face and Aqua's already full notebook. Terra waved slightly, pulling out a pencil and his own notebook, which looked well used if not as filled as Aqua's.

Sora took a seat just as Master Eraqus began to go over the history of keyblade wielders. Master Eraqus always managed to make it interesting and fun to listen, Sora had noticed.

Before Sora had noticed it, the master was moving on to the Mark of Mastery exams and the different ways it could be administered. "The normal method is to two masters to administer two trials to test the readiness and skill of the prospective keyblade master, but that is not the only form of the Mark of Mastery exam," Master Eraqus explained, pausing as Aqua scribbled furiously to keep up. "Although it is very uncommon, a keyblade wielder can also become master by entering what are known as the Sleeping Worlds. Long ago, those worlds were swallowed by darkness and never truly woke up again, even when they were returned to light. In these worlds, the one being tested must unlock seven keyholes in order to be named a master."

Master Eraqus had continued on, but Sora was trying to remember. He knew he had gone into the Sleeping Worlds for his own exam, but everything else was fuzzy. He hadn't passed, that was certain, but he didn't remember why. Sora was jolted back to the lesson when he realized that Ven was trying to get his attention slyly.

"The master will know if you're not paying attention, so be careful…" Ven warned, whispering so quietly that Sora barely heard him. Sora nodded, keeping his eyes on the board.

"That's all for today in the classroom. We'll have lunch and then move on to practicing shotlocks," Master Eraqus finished, leading the way to the kitchen. His four students chatted, laughing and making jokes, but his mind was on the rip in time. It would have closed permanently once Sora had fallen through it, but there had to be another occurring naturally throughout the worlds if he just looked long enough. That wasn't the real issue though… Someone had purposefully led Sora through, but Sora's memories were too inconstant to identify the culprit.

Later that day, Master Eraqus was showing Sora how to use a shotlock again, but the spiky haired boy couldn't quite get the hang of it yet. The others had mastered the skill and were working on perfecting it now. "You can do it, Sora!" Ven called out, pausing to watch as Sora tried again.

Sora flashed a smile at Ven before holding up his keyblade, looking down it, and locking on. Feeling within, he focused on his inner strength and willed it to assist him, just as the master had instructed. This time, there was an outflowing of energy as a dozen bursts of flame launched at the target, burning it up. "I did it!" Sora shouted triumphantly.

"Good job, Sora. That was very skilled for your first time using a shotlock," Master Eraqus congratulated, an approving look crossing his face.

"Awesome, Sora! We both have the same shotlock! It's called Flame Salvo," Ven exclaimed, grinning widely.

A month passed that way, with the four students training together and honing their skills. Master Eraqus received two messages during that time, both from Master Yen Sid. The first acknowledged Master Eraqus's request for assistance regarding the matter of finding another rip in time. Yen Sid would search for another rip to send Sora back to his own time with, and he would also investigate the identity of the person who set the trap for Sora.

The second message said that Yen Sid had made a possible breakthrough on another rip in time, but the rip wouldn't come into being for a while yet. Yen Sid's apprentice would come soon to bring the rest of the message, for the rest of the information was far too important to be written in a letter.

Meanwhile, in the present:

Riku paced back and forth in the circular room of the Mysterious Tower. "It's been almost a week, and he's still missing. The message he left in Arendelle was clear enough, but he hasn't turned up anywhere, captured or not. Hans wasn't much help either… He knew next to nothing other than the fact that it was a trap laid by Xehanort…" Riku said, stopping and looking at Kairi.

She seemed nervous yet determined that Sora was okay. "I know, but I just… feel that he's alright for the moment. Master Yen Sid, have you had any luck locating him?" Kairi asked, looking toward the bearded sorcerer.

Yen Sid was silent, deliberating on his answer. "No, I have not, but I believe I know when he is…" he responded, leaving the two friends to wonder what he meant. "Thirteen years ago, I was contacted by a keyblade master for assistance with a certain… issue. A keyblade wielder had fallen through what is known as a rip in time. Where there are irregularities in the timeline, these rips exist. They are incredibly rare, but there are several known keyblade wielders who have fallen through them, either going forward in time or backward."

Yen Sid waved a hand, and the image of a keyhole appeared. Within the hole, there was a rip, showing an older version of the Mysterious Tower. Both Kairi and Riku examined it, listening as the sorcerer continued, "This form of time travel discards the normal rules, not requiring a version of the time traveler to be present at the destination. Because of this, many of those with darkness within their hearts have tried to exploit the rips in time by creating their own. Almost all have failed, as it would require immense strength and control to do so. I believe that the trap Xehanort laid was a rip in time, and Sora was pulled thirteen years into the past."

"Wait, thirteen years? And you can remember Sora being there?" Riku asked, his eyes still on the image of the keyhole.

Again, Yen Sid didn't answer immediately. After a moment, he replied, "Yes, thirteen years ago, but I never saw Sora myself. Mickey met Sora though. I had him take a message to the keyblade master, and he was there when… Anyway, Mickey should be able to tell you more. I must do some research before I say any more than that, but I should be finished by the time you return."

"Okay then, let's go ask the king," Kairi suggested, moving to the door. "Thank you, Master Yen Sid," she added, and she started walking down the stairs to the ground.

Riku made to follow before gratefully saying, "Thank you for helping us." Then, the two were gone.

"Time is of the essence… Do not forget that, or we may miss our chance to return Sora to our time," Yen Sid called after them, walking to a shelf and pulling a journal down. Slowly, he returned to his desk and opened said journal. After a moment, he found the page he was looking for. "A month from now, he'll return. Mickey made sure to ask our future selves what day Sora returns on. That gives us a concrete date to bring him back on." Yen Sid continued reading through the journal, stopping at some points to make small comments here and there. A slight smile reached his face as he read a letter that was folded into a page.

It read, "At this point, I believe Sora has become worthy of the title of keyblade master. He was extremely skilled to begin with, but he has matured and honed his skills over this past year. At risk of changing the future, I cannot test him with Aqua and Terra, but perhaps you can test him when he returns to you in the future.

"Unfortunately, it seems that dark forces are gathering throughout the worlds. It is too perfectly timed to be a coincidence. Through your research and mine, we know a new rip in time will open very soon. As long as there's someone on the other end, we can send Sora home, but this darkness seems to be conspiring to keep him here…" Yen Sid reread the letter before tucking it back into the page.

"The time has finally arrived for us to fulfill our end, but there is still much to be done," Yen Sid murmured, turning to another page in the journal.

Riku and Kairi had just reached Disney Castle when Goofy waved and made his way over to them. "Gwarsh, it's Riku and Kairi! How're the two of you? And how's Sora doin'?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"We need to talk to the king. It's really important," Riku replied, cutting right to the point.

Kairi smiled and answered, "We're okay for now, but Sora's in trouble. Xehanort laid a trap for him that we think sent him into the past. Yen Sid sent us to ask the king more about what happened"

"Gwarsh, that's no good, no good at all. I'll take you right to the king then!" Goofy replied, lumbering off toward the throne room with Riku and Kairi at his heels. He pushed the smaller door open and let the other two pass before joining them inside. "Your highness, Riku and Kairi are here, and they say Sora's in trouble!" He announced.

Riku stepped forward, not waiting for Mickey's reply, and explained, "Master Yen Sid told us to ask you about when you sent Sora back to our time. He said you were there when it happened and that you could tell us more about how to bring him back."

"Yes, I remember that day very well. It was a terrible one, but at least we were able to return Sora to our time. I'll explain more on the way to the Mysterious Tower," Mickey replied, stepping down from his throne and joining the other three. "Goofy, will you stay here with Donald and help protect everyone in the castle?"

Slightly deflated, Goofy answered, "Sure, your highness, I can do that." He thought about the order for a moment, realizing that the king was entrusting him with the safety of the castle. "Hyuk, I'll do my best!"

Outside the door to the Mysterious Tower, Mickey stopped and turned to Riku and Kairi. He had explained most of the past, glossing over some of the details. "So that's about it. We need to give Sora a point to return to by opening the rip in time on our side. A natural rip in time opened on his side, but he needs one on this side as well. One other thing, when Sora comes through the rip, he'll be a year older than the last time we saw him. I don't think he's changed much, but I thought I'd warn the two of you about it," he finished. "I'd say that's everything important, although Xehanort may be lurking to recapture Sora. That's something we have to be wary of when we bring Sora back." With that, they made their way into the tower and up to the room that perched at the very top.

((A/N I hope you all liked this chapter! I was trying to provide a bit of information and fun in it without being boring, so please let me know what you think! Any review, whether it be positive or negative, is welcome! School has started for me, so I don't know how often chapter updates will be coming. Finally, thank you all for reading and reviewing my previous chapters! Kkoko88))


	5. An Unbreakable Connection

((A/N I know it's been forever since I updated, but I really don't have a lot of time to work on writing fanfiction right now. I haven't been doing well in school, and I have to work really hard right now before my semester ends to catch up. However, I think I'll be able to update slightly more frequently next semester!))

Eventually, weeks turned into months for Sora, but the time seemed to pass in a blur. Sora had been strong when he'd arrived, but there was no doubt that he had grown much more experienced and knowledgeable in his time in the Land of Departure. Quickly, he had mastered many techniques that he had never heard of until he was on par with Aqua and Terra.

As the Mark of Mastery exam grew closer, Aqua and Terra trained together even more often, fine-tuning their skills. While they weren't taking the test, both Sora and Ven began to burst with energy, training with extra fervor and determination. Master Xehanort, his apprentice with him, arrived early the day before the exam. The master and apprentice stayed in their rooms, secluded from Master Eraqus and his students.

"Hey, Aqua! Terra! I just know you're going to pass tomorrow!" Sora called out from across the training ground. He flashed a smile at his friends, who were sparring casually while Ven looked on. Master Eraqus had given the apprentices a day off to relax, but Terra and Aqua had wanted a bit more practice before the exam.

Sora made his way over and joined Ven, watching. Ven was sitting on a bench close to Aqua and Terra, and Sora sat beside him. Not pausing in the sparring, Aqua replied, "Thanks, Sora! I know you're going to make it soon too."

Terra jumped in as well, adding, "Definitely! You're just as good as Aqua and I are, and you've caught up in all of the history and information about keyblade wielders." Terra blocked an attack from Aqua, and the two dematerialized their keyblades, shaking hands. "Good job, Aqua. That was a good session."

Aqua nodded back, smiling before turning and stepping toward Sora and Ven. After a moment, Sora stood up with a jolt. "I forgot! The master wanted me to tell the three of you that dinner's almost ready!" Sora explained, grinning sheepishly and wrapping his hands behind his head. "I'd say it's pretty much ready by now, so we should get going up to the dining room."

At the mention of dinner, Ven jumped up from the bench. "Sora, how could you forget dinner? You always seem to be the first person up to the dining room!" He asked with a laugh. Aqua and Terra laughed at the light prodding, leading the way up.

"But Ven, you always seem to reach the dining room at the same time as Sora!" Aqua cut in, watching her friend smile and scratch his head just as sheepishly as Sora. "Anyway, let's not keep the master waiting any longer." After a moment, the small group of friends had joined Master Eraqus, making it just as he was putting the food onto plates.

"This all looks great, master!" Ven and Sora said in unison. They both stared at each other for a moment before calling out (together again), "Jinx!" The two fell into laughing, but they settled down after a moment. The dining room was filled with excitement as everyone ate. Eventually, everyone finished, and Sora stood up, excusing himself from the table. Ven would probably follow soon after, but Aqua and Terra would probably stay longer to speak with Master Eraqus longer.

Partway down the hallway, Sora stopped as his memory cleared slightly. It felt clearer than it had in months, but that wasn't just it. There was a malevolent presence close by, pressing against Sora. It seemed to be testing his defenses but not trying to enter. "So, you're Sora, huh… I've heard quite a bit about you, but you seem a bit more — what's the word — dull than I expected," a voice called out from the guest hallway. Annoyed, but curious, Sora took a step into the corridor, trying to make out the figure in the darkness. "You've definitely grown stronger since you came here, but will it be enough? Will you be strong enough to change things? I don't think you will be, considering you'll disappear, never to have existed. You'll never have met your precious friends or travelled throughout the worlds, and you'd never give that up. That's what makes you weak, Sora." Sora could finally see the figure, but the boy's features were hidden under a black mask. Something felt oddly familiar though.

Sora blinked, taking a step backward into the better lit corridor. "What's that supposed to mean? Strong enough to change things?" Sora questioned, keeping his eyes on the boy. With a flourish, the boy turned around and started walking back down the hallway.

"We'll meet again, Sora," he said, not pausing as he said it. With that, the boy was gone, melting into the darkness.

For several moments, Sora didn't move. Eventually, he raised his hand, summoning his keyblade. He stared at it, a deep flash of longing to be with Riku and Kairi worming its way into his heart. "Riku… Kairi…" he murmured. Sora didn't know what the boy had meant, but he knew he'd make it back to his friends. "I'm coming back. I promise." The master had spoken recently with Sora about finding a rip in time. He had said that the time was coming, but it didn't seem to be coming soon enough. Events seemed to be gaining momentum.

Later that night, Sora lay awake in bed. Sitting up, he looked out the window, watching the stars. At first, he only saw one or two shooting stars, but he started to see dozens after a few minutes. "It must be a meteor shower! I'll go get the others so we can watch it together!" He thought aloud. Pulling on his clothes, Sora came running out of his room, just as Ven turned the corner to go outside. "Ven already beat me to it, huh… I don't think he woke Terra or Aqua up, by the looks of it."

Several minutes later, Sora, Terra, and Aqua had joined Ven, looking up at the sky. Ven had fallen asleep, leaving Aqua to wake him up. "This is great! I've never seen anything like this," Sora commented, feeling at home with the other three.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered! Terra and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow, so I made us all good luck charms!" Aqua exclaimed, pulling four star-shaped charms from a pocket. "Here!" Aqua tossed one to each of the others. There was a green one for Ven, a yellow and red one for Terra, a dark red one for Sora, and a light blue one for Aqua.

"We get them too?" Ven asked, as he and Sora held their charms, admiring them.

"Of course, one for each of us," Aqua replied, and the four all held the charms in a circle. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had." This triggered a flash of memories for Sora, of time spent with Riku and Kairi hanging out on the paopu tree.

"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl," Terra commented, leading into a mini-argument between him and Aqua. Aqua did reveal that she had put a bit of magic into the charms, an "unbreakable connection," as she put it. After, the group sparred for a few minutes before heading off to bed.

That would be the last night any of them spent beneath the same stars.

In the present:

Yen Sid had conjured up an image of the Keyblade Graveyard along with a map for Riku, Kairi, and Mickey to examine. "I've marked the position at which Sora will come through, but we have much to do before then. While a natural rip in time will open on Sora's side, we must create a rip. It will require an incalculable amount of power, as well as a number of ingredients. I'll need you to gather the ingredients while I gather up the energy," he explained, summoning a sheet of paper with the needed items. "On top of the ingredients and energy, you will need to train as much as you can before you head for the Keyblade Graveyard. This is a trap laid by Xehanort, and it is certain that he will want to keep Sora ensnared in it. It will not do to be unprepared for a fight."

Mickey, Riku, and Kairi all nodded, determined. Stepping forward, Mickey gathered up the materials Yen Sid had provided them with. "Thank you, master," he said, followed by similar statements from Kairi and Riku. "We'll be off then."

In the gummi ship, the group looked at the list, unsure where to go first. "I don't think I've heard of most of these before…" Riku commented, frowning slightly. World names were listed next to each item. Unlike the names of the items, he recognized most of the worlds the items were on.

"Where should we go first, your highness?" Kairi asked, also recognizing the names.

Mickey didn't respond at first, as he was studying the list. "What do you two think about going here first?" He asked. Both Kairi and Riku nodded their assent to Mickey's choice, and the three flew off into the Lanes Between.

In the past:

Sora was dreaming. _He stood on a stained glass platform decorated with an image of himself and those who were connected to him. Instinctually, he knew where he was. A light floated in front of him, stopping in his hands. A moment later, the light floated away, growing until Sora had to cover his eyes. When the light dimmed, a boy in armor stood before him. "Ven? Is that you?" Sora asked, knowing the answer. The boy's eyes were closed, but they opened as Sora spoke._

"_You recognize me this time… but it is not my time to awaken… not yet…" he said, a solemn smile on his face. "Even now, I drift back to sleep, but I must deliver a warning to you, Sora. No matter what, you must not change what is set to happen."_

_Sora stepped forward, a tear sliding from his eye. "Ven, what do you know that I don't? Who hurt you?" The only response Sora received was a shake of the head from Ven._

"_You have to make it home, no matter how hard it is… Goodbye for now, Sora…" Ven said, his eyes dipping shut again. Slowly, he wobbled and fell. Crying out, Sora leapt forward to catch Ven, but he dissolved into light._

Sora awoke with a start, falling off the bed. There was a knocking at the door. "Give me a second!" He called out, putting his hand to his heart. When Sora opened the door, it was Master Eraqus waiting for him.

"Sora, I apologize for waking you up so early, but it is almost time," Eraqus explained solemnly. Sora hadn't noticed how early it was. The sky outside the window was a soft pink, steadily growing lighter and lighter. He frowned for a moment, trying to remember what it was almost time for. Then it hit him.

"The rip in time? Is it going to open soon?" Sora asked, seeing the answer in his master's eyes. "It's too bad. I won't get to see the Mark of Master exam… but… this will be my only chance, won't it?" Again, Sora could see the answer. Ven's words from the dream flashed in Sora's mind, telling him to make it home.

Eraqus led the way down to the entrance of the grounds. Partway there, Sora sensed a dark presence, the same one from the previous night. Walking in the opposite direction was Xehanort and the boy. Xehanort and Sora locked eyes, and recognition flared up in Sora's heart. Even without his memories, his heart would not forget. Once they were down the hall, Sora spoke, "Master, is there really no way I can stay for the exam? I have a bad feeling that I just can't shake."

Eraqus stopped with a sigh. He turned and smiled at Sora. "Fine, but you must depart immediately after, or you'll be hard pressed in getting there in time," he gave in. It was obviously more than just a bad feeling, Eraqus saw. Events in time seemed to be solidifying rapidly now, and Sora's memories would be resurfacing. "Sora, if you're remembering anything, feel free to tell me anything."

Sora nodded, unsure what to say. Ven had told him not to change what was meant to happen, but what if it could save people who didn't need to be hurt? Finally, he said, "Thanks, master. I'll be sure to tell you if I remember anything! Since I'm up early, how about I make breakfast this morning? You can relax a bit, master!"

"Thank you for offering, Sora. Maybe I'll take you up on that," Eraqus replied with a chuckle. Sora would share what he remembered eventually, once he had decided to. Eraqus wouldn't force him to do so.

While Sora cooked, he thought. He was unsure what to do, but he soon forgot his worries in the flurry of cooking. The master would want simple scrambled eggs and toast, while the other apprentices would want something sweet. Eventually, Sora settled on making his mom's specialty, "Chocolate Chip Coconut Pancakes." She had taught him when he was nine or ten how to make them, and the memory had come back recently.

When Terra, Aqua, and Ven walked in, they jumped in surprise at Sora finishing up. "Sora, I didn't know that you knew how to cook!" Terra commented, grinning at the sight of the pancakes.

"I don't!" Sora replied, laughing. "This is really the only thing I know how to make." Smiling, he passed out plates to each of the others before putting some pancakes on his own plate. Just as he finished, Eraqus's toast popped out of the toaster, and Sora passed the toast and scrambled eggs to Eraqus, who had been reading in the kitchen while Sora cooked.

"Thank you, Sora," he said, taking the plate and sitting at the table with everyone else. The morning passed quickly, followed by the start of the Mark of Mastery exam.

Sora and Ven watched from the side. Every time he looked at Xehanort, Sora felt like a weight had settled on his chest. Shaking his head, Sora focused on the exam. It seemed to be going smoothly until some sort of darkness wrapped itself around the light spheres that Aqua and Terra were supposed to destroy. The spheres began to fly around uncontrollably, but Aqua and Terra were destroying most of them. Some came near Ven and Sora, but they were simple enough to destroy.

Once the light spheres were all gone, the second stage began. The second stage was the crucial point. Aqua and Terra were to fight each other. Throughout the fight, Sora could see that Terra was growing frustrated. Sora looked up at Master Eraqus, sure that he had noticed it too. Master Eraqus spared a glance at Sora, inclining his head toward the door. Sora couldn't stay any longer, apparently.

"Ven, I have to go. Let me know how they do," Sora whispered, smiling apologetically. Ven fixed him with a confused glance but nodded and smiled back. Sora stepped quietly out of the room and into the fresh air outside, wishing he could have seen the rest of the exam. The master had already told him where he would need to go, so he summoned his keyblade armor and was about to summon his keyblade rider when something knocked him to the ground.

"I told you we'd meet again, Sora. I'll never understand why, but Master Xehanort doesn't want you making it to that rip in time. I personally don't care either way, but I don't like you. So, I think I'll be sending you away now. Have fun on your trip," the masked boy said, stepping in front of Sora. A hoard of creatures swarmed Sora, pulling him into the shadows. "It'll take him just long enough to escape from that world…" With that, the boy walked off, ready to push the rest of the pieces into place.

((A/N It's way past midnight, but I don't have school today! So, happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to all of you! Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often, but I really can't promise anything… Even if it's several months (I don't think it'll be that bad), I promise I won't have forgotten about this fanfic! Kkoko88))


	6. A Promise

After the Mark of Mastery exam, Ven had returned to his room, wondering why Sora had left. He sneaked a look into Sora's room, but the other keyblade wielder wasn't there. Terra had disappeared as well, no doubt to cool off after failing his Mark of Mastery exam, and Aqua was busy with the Master, learning more about her new title. After a while, Ven heard the bells ringing throughout the Land of Departure, and he stood up, leaving the room in a rush.

"Better hurry, Ventus," a voice suggested, and Ven turned around, finding the source. It was a boy in a mask and unusual suit. He was leaning casually against the desk in Ven's room

"Huh, who are you?" Ven asked, confused.

The boy's only reply was to continue, "Or you'll never see Terra or Sora again."

"What? Get real. I can see them anytime I want."

"Like right now? They're leaving you behind, and by the time you catch up… they'll be different people."

"Look—whoever you are—you don't know the first thing about my friends. Sora, Terra, and I will always be a team. You trying to pick a fight or what?" Ven asked, raising his keyblade angrily.

The boy stood up, making his way across the room. "Oh, grow up. Is that what you call friendship? You'll never know the truth unless you go out and look for it yourself. Come on, what could you possibly know when you're stuck here, looking at nothing but what's in your tiny world?" He asked, raising his hand and creating a corridor of darkness. After a moment, he walked through, the portal disappearing behind him.

Ven frowned slightly, the memories of his time with Terra and Sora running through his head. Finally, he called out, "Terra! Sora!" With that, he sprinted away, ready to find his friends. Reaching the main hall, he caught a glimpse of Terra going out to one of the courtyards.

"Terra!" Ven called out, rushing down the steps to catch up. He panted slightly, trying to put his words together.

"It's okay," Terra replied, putting his hand on Ven's head. He gave Ven a reassuring smile before turning and summoning his armor. A moment later, he summoned his keyblade rider and flew off into the sky. Ven let out a sigh as Terra disappeared. He looked at his armor piece, an idea forming. A moment later, he too summoned his armor and keyblade rider before following Terra into the sky. Behind him, Ven heard Aqua call out to him, followed by the master saying something as well, but he couldn't make out the words. He couldn't go back, not until he had found Sora and Terra.

Sora slowly came to, still smothered in the Unversed. Summoning his keyblade, he destroyed the Unversed in a burst of energy. Dematerializing his armor, Sora took a look around, feeling like he recognized this world. "Is this where I think it is?" he asked, not expecting an answer. The world around him was a dark city, filled with lights and people, but Sora was in an alley, away from the crowds. Intermingled with the white-lit people were soldiers with red and orange. Looking down at his own clothes, Sora noticed that they had shifted to match the style of the world.

"This is Argon, kid," a voice called out, a slight electronic tinge to it. Sora turned to see a masked man, but it wasn't the boy who had brought him here. The man's suit was white with glowing lines and a group of squares shaped like a T on his chest. "Hey, without an identity disk, you're going to get picked up by the Occupation within a microcycle. They have these creatures called the Unversed, which they've been using lately to pick up strays for the Games."

"The Unversed?" Sora asked. Could those be the creatures the masked boy used to capture him? "Anyway, who are you?"

"I'm Tron," the figure replied, his head swiveling as if he were waiting for something. "It's about to get crazy here, so you should get out of here and find yourself an identity disk, even if it's a fake one." With that, the man seemed to find what he was looking for: a squadron of soldiers marching down the street, surrounded by the Unversed. Saying no more, Tron stepped out into the street, knocking out each of the soldiers and then turning to the Unversed.

"Wait, Tron? It's me, So— never mind. Here, let me help!" Sora shouted, summoning his keyblade and joining in. Sora realized that Tron wouldn't remember him, as they wouldn't actually meet for over a decade. Moments later, the Unversed were gone. Tron searched each of the men until he came up with a drive of some sort.

"You're a pretty good fighter. What's your name, and what are you programmed for?" Tron asked, turning to Sora.

Sora smiled, folding his hands behind his head. "I'm not sure about the 'programmed for' part, but my name's Sora. Nice to meet you!" Tron pulled out two batons, handing one to Sora. Unsure how to use the baton, Sora followed Tron's lead, riding light cycles to the outskirts of the city.

"We'll be able to talk more openly here," Tron finally said, driving ever further out of the city, Sora just behind him. Eventually, Tron stopped as another masked man came into view. "Sora, you're not a program, are you?"

Before Sora could reply, the other man answered for him, "No, he's not. He's a user. It's good that you brought him here." The man turned to Sora and asked, "You use a keyblade, don't you?" Sora nodded, summoning his keyblade for the two to see. "Who were you trained by?"

"Master Eraqus has been training me," Sora responded. It seemed that the man had met the master before, as he pulled off his helmet, gesturing to Tron to pull his off as well.

"Ahh, it's been some time since Eraqus was here last. I hope he's doing well. Beck, this is the student of an old friend of mine. My name is Tron, and this is Beck. Beck's been acting as Tron for me, as I am unable to anymore," the man said, a slight smile on his face. Sora could see scars on his face, similar to the master's, and he very dark brown hair. Beck was young, with a bright smile, and dark brown hair.

"It's great to meet you both, and the master has been doing well during the year I've spent with him," Sora answered, smiling at the pair. Turning to Tron, he asked, "Do you know a way out of the Grid? I think my friends need me, but a boy in a mask trapped me here. I really need to get back."

Tron turned, looking toward Argon. "With your keyblade, I believe you should be able to create a portal to the outer world, but you would need a significant power source. The problem is finding a power source that isn't being used by the Occupation…" he replied, looking off into the distance.

Beck interjected, "Would the Garage be a large enough source? I have to go back for work, but it has a large amount of power that goes unused most of the time." Tron nodded, saying no more. It seemed clear that it was time for Sora and Beck to go.

"Tell Eraqus I say hello, Sora," Tron finally said, making no other movements.

"I promise, Tron," Sora replied, pulling his baton out and following Beck. Soon, they were back in the city, speeding through the streets. Eventually, they made it to a massive building with dozens of people working within. Beck led the way in, his suit black now.

"Sora, all you have to do is unlock the power source. It should release a surge of energy that'll send you home. I need to get to work, but the power source is two rights and a left. Then, it'll be the first door on your left. Good luck! I hope you make it to your friends," Beck explained, walking away to join two programs who seemed to be his friends.

Sora followed the instructions until he found the power source. "I hope I'm not too late," he thought aloud, unlocking the power source and feeling a wave of energy wash over him. The light began to intensify, and Sora had to shield his eyes. As the glow died down, he found himself in a wasteland, surrounded by thousands of keyblades. "This is where the rip in time will be, the Keyblade Graveyard…"

Sora was at an intersection of keyblades when he dodged out of the way of an attack. It was the masked boy again. "Who are you? Why did you trap me in the Grid?" Sora asked, and the boy stepped back slightly. Slowly, the mask began to disappear, and Sora was able to see the face beneath the mask.

"Who am I, Sora? I'm Vanitas, and I took the form you were destined for. For you, it was before you can even remember, when you were first born, but I remember it. I remember the moment your heart connected with Ventus'! I trapped you in the Grid because the Master ordered it, but I thought it might be fun to see you squirm. You're not going to make it to the rip in time, Sora. You see, in a data world, time can be altered! What felt like a one or two hours for you was several hours here, and now, all of the pieces are moving into place!" Vanitas explained, his golden eyes and black, spiky hair mirroring Sora's.

Sora summoned his armor, a determined look on his face. "It doesn't matter what you look like! I won't let you hurt my friends, Vanitas!" He shouted, surging forward to attack his dark double. With an evil grin, Vanitas shot into battle, keeping up with Sora, blow for blow.

"How's it feel, Sora? How does it feel to know that you can't save your little friends? They aren't around in your time, are they? And you can tell what that means!" Vanitas taunted, watching Sora grow angrier.

"I will save them!" Sora cried out, recklessly attacking Vanitas. Vanitas seemed overwhelmed for a moment, but his grin came back as he took advantage of the holes left by Sora's anger. With a slash of his keyblade, Vanitas knocked Sora to the ground. Sora struggled to get up, but Vanitas slammed him into the ground, creating a crater in the ground with the force. This time, Sora did not move. In a flash of light, his armor dissipated, weakened by the damage Sora had sustained.

"Master, he won't be waking up for a while!" Vanitas called out, crouching down beside Sora. With a grin, the mask began to cover his face for a while. "He was boring… I don't know what you could possibly want him for…"

"For now, he will serve to push the others into action," Xehanort replied, joining Vanitas at the intersection. He stood over Sora, looking down at his unconscious form. He bent down and lifted the boy by the collar, a pleased smile crossing his face. "Forced to reach his true time the long way, he will grow more and more powerful until he's perfect for the thirteen." With that, Xehanort began walking away, dragging Sora behind him. Vanitas walked just behind, watching three figures in the distance grow larger.

In the present:

Riku, Kairi, and Mickey had finished collecting all of the necessary items a week before the day they had to return Sora on, but they had not been idle during that last week. They had been training to prepare for the coming battles. Finally, the three stood in the Mysterious Tower, ready to head to the Keyblade Graveyard.

"It is time for the three of you to depart, but first…" Yen Sid trailed off, conjuring up an unusual orb. Riku, Kairi, and Mickey could feel the power radiating off of it. "This orb shall provide the power to force the rip in time open. With it, the rest of the items will come together to hold the rip open for Sora. Now, you must leave for the Keyblade Graveyard. Good luck to all three of you."

"We'll be back, Master Yen Sid, and Sora'll be with us!" Kairi promised, leading the way down to the gummi ship. Once at the ship, Mickey took the controls, steering the way. Soon enough, they touched down. Jumping out, Riku and Kairi laid their eyes on all of the dead keyblades.

"This is where the last Keyblade War happened, and it's also where my friends were split apart…" Mickey said, looking sadly at the craters and damage formed when he had been there last. Showing the way, Mickey pointed to a central point in the area, saying, "That's where we need to open the rip in time."

"Perfect, let's get going," Riku said, following Mickey. Before they could take a step, heartless began appearing around them in droves, blocking the way to the rip in time. Keyblades out, the three started hacking and slashing their way to their destination, mowing a path through the heartless.

"We have to do this—for Sora!" Kairi shouted, determinedly fighting alongside Riku and Mickey.

In the past:

Vanitas and Xehanort came into view of Aqua, Terra, and Ven, finally stopping in front of the young keyblade wielders. "Behold! These lifeless keys used to be full of power—united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat… as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key, and it will soon belong to me. X-blade," Xehanort called out, dumping Sora onto the ground as he did so.

"Sora!" The three friends called in unison, seeing Sora. All three summoned their armor, and Terra charged Xehanort. With a flick of his hand, Xehanort raised the land, carrying Sora, Vanitas, and him up. As Terra began working his way up, Vanitas began riding a wind filled with dead keyblades, attacking the three keyblade wielders. Eventually, Terra was knocked onto the raised area, where Xehanort awaited him. Sora's eyes flickered open, taking in the situation. With a cry, he slashed at Xehanort, using the chance to reach Terra. Just as Sora helped Terra to his feet, Ven attempted an attack on Xehanort, who dodged, catching Ven by the head.

"Ven!" Terra and Sora called out, watching their friend flail in Xehanort's grip. Again, Vanitas attacked on the wind of keyblades, slamming Terra to the ground beneath the platform.

"Ven, I'm coming!" Sora shouted, making a dash for his friend. Smirking, Xehanort cast a magic spell, freezing Ven, just before Sora could get there. Still sneering, Xehanort dropped Ven down to the ground below. "No!" Sora yelled, attacking Xehanort. In his peripheral vision, he could see a keyhole forming. No, it wasn't a keyhole. It was the rip in time.

"We both know that you won't leave your friends, Sora… not when they're in such danger. You will not escape to your time, nor will you save Aqua, Terra, and Ventus," Xehanort goaded, forming a ball of magic and launching it into the sky. The clouds above began to part, and Kingdom Hearts was revealed. Vanitas returned to the platform, standing behind Xehanort.

"Sora! You must go! Go back to your own time!" Terra's voice echoed up, and he appeared on his keyblade rider, dropping onto the platform next to Sora. "We can't let Xehanort have his way, and Aqua, Ven, and I can take care of ourselves. You can't let your friends from the future down, Sora. Riku and Kairi are waiting for you, just on the other side of that keyhole!"

Sora turned to Terra, tears forming in his eyes. "But none of you are there in the future… I don't know where any of you are!" Sora pleaded, ignoring Xehanort and Vanitas. A small form reached the top of the platform next, Mickey.

"You're Sora, right? You have to go! You need to make it back while there's a chance, and then you can worry about finding Aqua, Terra, and Ven!" Mickey convinced, keeping his eyes on Xehanort and Vanitas.

"_Go, Sora…"_ A voice within Sora's heart ordered, Ven's. _"Please, you must not change what's meant to be…"_ Sora sighed, not wanting to go.

In the present:

Eventually, Riku, Kairi, and Mickey made it the platform through the hordes of heartless. "We're almost there, guys! It's just a little bit further!" He called out, growing enthusiastic. Using a bit of magic, Mickey lifted the ground beneath them until they were parallel with the platform, and they all stepped off. "You can see where the rip in time first formed, which will be the template for the rip in time on our side." As Mickey spoke, the materials they had gathered were pulled into the air around the keyhole, as was the orb filled with the required power. In moments, they could see into the past.

"Sora!" Riku called, able to see his friend through the keyhole. Sora seemed to hear Riku, turning to face them.

"It's us, Sora! It's Riku and Kairi! We're all good on our side! All you have to do is unlock the keyhole!" Kairi shouted, watching a smile form on Sora's face.

In the past:

"Sora!" Riku's voice called, startling Sora.

"It's us, Sora! It's Riku and Kairi! We're all good on our side! All you have to do is unlock the keyhole!" Kairi's voice carried over, and Sora couldn't help but smile.

"Whether you decide to leave through the rip in time or not does not matter, Sora, for I only need to stall you for a few minutes. Then, the rip will snap shut forever more!" Xehanort cut in, positioning himself between Sora and the keyhole back.

Terra launched forward, forcing Xehanort aside. "Go, Sora! You know that Aqua and Ven would say the same thing! Return to your friends!" He shouted, struggling to keep Xehanort away.

Sora nodded, running to the keyhole. "I'll find all of you! I promise!" He shouted, just as Vanitas moved to intercept Sora. However, Mickey blocked Vanitas from stopping Sora. Even as Sora moved for the keyhole, he could see it closing. Raising his keyblade, he unlocked the keyhole. Tendrils of light began to wrap around Sora, gently pulling him through the rip in time. Then, he was on the other side, with Riku, Kairi, and the Mickey of his time.

The two Mickeys spoke briefly through the closing rip in time, confirming the date and location to make sure that everything in the present day would happen as needed. Abruptly, the rip closed, leaving nothing behind to suggest that it had ever been there.

Sora let out a smile, running to his friends. "Riku, Kairi, Mickey! It's been so long since I've seen you! There's so much for me to show you and tell you about! You would love Aqua, Terra, and Ven. I wish I could introduce you…" Sora exclaimed, but his voice dropped toward the end, a slight tear dropping down his cheek.

Kairi ran up and hugged Sora, a relieved smile crossing her face. She and Sora were silent for a second, reveling in the moment. Then, Kairi pulled back, looking up at Sora. "I think you've grown a bit, Sora," she observed, laughing a little bit.

"Mickey said that a year's passed for you, Sora. Is that true?" Riku added, standing back from the pair. Sora looked over at Riku, nodding slightly.

"It's true. I got to train with a keyblade master though! I learned so much that I had never known before! Once we get back home, I'll definitely show you two some of the new techniques I learned!" Sora replied, bouncing back to his normal smiling self.

"The first of my friends is back… I hope this means that maybe, just maybe, the others will be coming back too," Mickey murmured, too quiet for any of the celebrating friends to hear. More loudly, he spoke up, "I think we ought to be returning to the Mysterious Tower now. This isn't the best place to be celebrating."

With that, the group of friends headed back to the gummi ship. When they reached it, Sora stopped, a grin on his face. "You know how I told you I learned a few things? Well, why don't I show you the first thing I learned?" Sora asked, activating his armor in a flash that lit up the surrounding area. With that, he summoned his keyblade rider and flew off alongside the gummi ship. He would keep his promise to Terra, Aqua, and Ven, he assured himself. It was only a matter of time.

((A/N This isn't the end, but I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far! Like I said on the last chapter, I don't know how often I'll be able to update my stories, but I promise I haven't forgotten about them or anything. I just have a lot of school and real life things that take up my time. Thank you for all of the reviews so far! It makes me feel so good to see them! Kkoko88))


	7. The Book of Hearts

In the past:

Terra smirked, pushing off against Xehanort's keyblade. "Sora's gone now, so that's at least one thing you won't be getting today," he said, able to fully focus on Xehanort and Vanitas. "Mickey, will you go help Aqua and Ven? I think they're going to need you!" With a nod, Mickey left, joining Aqua and Ven on the ground below.

"That is no matter… Admirably done. I knew this was a journey you could make—over the unseen wall that divides darkness and light. And I was not wrong, Terra!" Xehanort responded, his golden eyes burning into Terra's bright blue eyes.

"Sora may be safe now, but my friend—Ven. You tell me, Xehanort, what did you do to him?" Terra demanded.

"Why, I did him a favor and freed the darkness inside him. Alas, poor Ventus never had the fortitude for such strenuous trials," Xehanort replied calmly.

Terra's rage was building. At last he shouted, "Xehanort!" Then, he launched into an attack.

In the present:

Looking out at the ocean, Sora finally made his decision. He was sitting on the trunk of the paopu tree, his favorite place in the Destiny Islands. In one hand were a glass bottle and a note, and in the other was the dark red good luck charm Aqua had given him. It was time to start keeping his promise. "Sora," Riku called out. When Sora heard his name, he turned to see his friend.

"Riku," Sora answered, watching as Riku walked past the bridge and joined him at the paopu tree.

"Your mind's made up?"

"Yeah."

Kairi's voice broke into the conversation, saying, "Sora." She joined the two boys, looking out toward the ocean.

Hurriedly, Sora dropped to the ground. "Kairi, I…" Sora trailed off, but Kairi nodded her understanding. With a smile, Sora approached her. "It's just… they really need me. I have to go. I am who I am… because of them." With another nod, Kairi pushed her good luck charm into Sora's hand, joining the red charm from Aqua.

"See you soon," Kairi replied.

In his search, Sora found himself at Radiant Garden. He pulled out his wayfinder, feeling a growing warmth. It seemed that he was getting closer. "I'm almost there, Aqua, Terra, Ven," he thought aloud.

"It's been a while, Sora," Leon's voice sounded behind the keyblade wielder. As Sora turned, Leon stepped forward, a slight smirk on his face. "We've found something you might want to see." Without another word, Leon sauntered off toward the castle, leaving a curious Sora to follow. Reaching the castle, Leon led Sora further and further down through the corridors to a circular room with designs of chains running throughout it, but the designs weren't what caught Sora's eye. Aqua's armor and keyblade were lying on the floor, abandoned.

"Aqua…" Sora murmured. He stepped forward, pulling the keyblade from the floor, before turning to the armor. Crouching down, he touched the armor, and it dissipated in a flash of light, returning to a small piece of armor.

Lifting the piece, Sora turned to ask Leon about Aqua, but Leon interrupted, "There's no sign of the keyblade wielder who owns those, Sora." Sora's face fell slightly at that.

"It's okay. This is a good lead!" Sora reasoned, brightening. "Thanks, Leon!" With that, Sora made his way out of the castle, filled with new vigor. He clutched the red wayfinder in his hand, determined to find Aqua. The wayfinder began to glow brightly, but when Sora turned in a different direction, the glow dimmed. Turning back, the glow increased again. "I'm almost there."

Eventually, Sora found himself in an unfamiliar area of Radiant Garden, a square he had never seen before. He made his way to the center of the square before crouching down. Sora inspected the ground, sensing the faintest trace of Aqua and Terra. It was over a decade old, but it was there. Smiling faintly, he leapt into the air and cast his keyblade down at the ground. A beam of light shot out of the keyblade, unlocking the sealed off passage below.

Sora launched himself through the passage, falling through the darkness to the ground far below. As a precaution, he activated his armor. The Realm of Darkness would offer many dangers, but the armor would help. Gaining his bearings, Sora set off through the darkness, following the warmth of his wayfinder. He moved quickly, almost sprinting at times. Finally, he came upon a familiar beach.

Sora had been here with Riku. It was so long ago, now. Back then, he hadn't sensed the traces of Aqua's energy, but they were clear as day to him this time. "Aqua, I'm here. I can feel you this time," Sora called out, sitting down on a boulder for a moment. Standing up again, he heard footsteps and sensed a very familiar presence.

"Sora…" Aqua's voice rang out. Sora stood up, turning to greet his friend. "It's been so long, but it's really you."

Sora nodded, grinning at Aqua. "It's really me. I came to get you! Now that I've found you, we can get Terra and Ven!" He enthusiastically replied, pulling a letter out of a pocket. It was Kairi's letter, from all that time ago. "I can open a door back to the Destiny Islands for us, but first—" Breaking off, Sora offered Aqua's keyblade and armor piece to her.

"Sora, that's wonderful. Ven and Terra… They'll be so happy when we're all together again," Aqua responded, a smile lighting up her face. Gratefully, she took the keyblade and armor, As Sora read the letter again, he heard the doors reopening. Together, he and Aqua stepped through the doors, looking onto a bright sunrise on the Destiny Islands. Aqua shielded her eyes, unaccustomed to the brightness of the Destiny Islands after so long in the Realm of Darkness. After a few moments, Aqua felt Sora's eyes on her. "It's beautiful," she said, lowering her hand to admire the view.

"You haven't changed a bit, Aqua," Sora replied, turning his eyes onto his friend.

"Time flows differently in the Realm of Darkness. You were with us when the master taught us that," Aqua replied, a slight smile on her face.

"You know what I meant."

Aqua sighed, breathing in the ocean air. Her eyes shone brightly, and she summoned Master Eraqus's keyblade. "Some things never change," she finally answered, meeting Sora's eyes. "I think Ven's been waiting long enough, don't you?"

Sora nodded, and he activated his armor. "Maybe Master Yen Sid will be able to give us a place to start," he suggested. Joining Sora, Aqua summoned her armor.

"I already know where Ven is, as long as he's where I left him, but we need to find his heart. Hopefully, Master Yen Sid will have some ideas on where to start looking," Aqua replied, summoning her keyblade rider. A shock of surprise ran through her when she noticed that the coloring was off on the keyblade rider. Rather than the black, silver, and blue color scheme, the blue had been replaced by a pink, almost-purple color, matching that of the Master Keeper keyblade. Sora noticed the change as well, but he said nothing. Instead, he joined Aqua in the sky by summoning his own keyblade rider.

The flight to the Mysterious Tower was short, but Aqua and Sora managed to get caught up on what had happened since they had parted in the keyblade graveyard. Now, Sora had the story from Aqua's perspective, not just from Mickey's, and Aqua now knew what had happened after Sora passed through the rip in time. Sora had also explained some of what had happened during the time she was in the Realm of Darkness. Soon, they found themselves standing before Master Yen Sid, who didn't seem surprised to be seeing them. "Master Aqua, you have returned, and at a crucial time," he started, forgoing greetings.

"It seems that I've missed a lot during my time in the Realm of Darkness, Master Yen Sid," Aqua replied, glancing at Sora.

Yen Sid nodded, his expression impassive. "Yes, you have, and it is time to awaken Ventus from his sleep. I believe that circumstances have changed during the time since we last spoke. Sora, would you step forward for a moment?" He asked, confusing both Aqua and Sora.

"Sure, but what do I have to do with the circumstances changing?" Sora answered, posing a question of his own. After a moment, he stepped forward, just as Yen Sid raised a hand. A beam of light raced through the air, rushing into Sora and enveloping him in light so bright that Aqua had to shield her eyes. When the light faded, Ven stood in place of Sora, eyes closed.

Slowly, Ven's eyes opened, and he turned. "Aqua…" he greeted, but his image began to fade back into Sora.

Aqua stepped forward, hands on Ven's shoulders. "Ven!" she desperately called out. "No, you can't disappear now!" Ven's eyes began to shut again as the last vestiges of his presence faded. A dazed Sora fell to his knees, hands clutched at his chest.

"What was that?" Sora asked, his bright blue eyes flashing with confusion. "I was here… and then I wasn't… and now, I'm back again."

Turning to Yen Sid, Aqua questioned, "You mentioned that circumstances had changed, and I'm guessing that that had something to do with what you meant. How did you replace Sora with Ven though?"

The sorcerer was silent for a moment, his eyes on Sora, who finally stood up. "I did not replace Sora with Ventus. Rather, I reached into his heart to pull another presence to the surface. It was only a theory until now, but from the moment I met Sora, I could sense that his heart had connected with another's at some point, that he was sheltering a heart within his own." Yen Sid cast another glance at Sora before continuing, "When I later learned that Kairi's heart had taken refuge within Sora's, the presence seemed explained. However, when we met again, a year later, I could still sense a second heart inside of Sora's, but this one was much more deeply hidden and connected to Sora."

Throughout the explanation, Aqua and Sora locked eyes a number of times, but neither interrupted. Once Yen Sid finished, Sora asked, "So, Ven's heart is inside of mine? Can you pull it out in the same way you pulled it to the surface?" Yen Sid shook his head at that.

"If that won't work, is there any other way to return Ven's heart to him?" Aqua inquired, concerned.

Yen Sid let out a sigh, seeing worried, yet determined, looks on Sora's and Aqua's faces. "It will be difficult. Sora's heart has been connected with Ventus's for quite some time now, over a decade, but perhaps…" he answered, rising from his chair. Waving a hand in the air above his head, Yen Sid conjured an image of a thick, leather-bound book with the image of a heart on the binding. Golden words flashed across the front cover, disappearing before Sora or Aqua could read them. "This is what is known as the Book of Hearts. It contains almost all of the current knowledge of hearts that keyblade masters have collected. Unfortunately, it was lost decades ago, its pages scattered among the worlds. If you wish to wake Ventus by returning his heart, you must hunt down these pages."

Wrapping his hands behind his neck, Sora asked bluntly, "So where should we look first, Master Yen Sid?"

Next to Sora, Aqua added, "Any suggestions would be welcome, master."

With another wave of Yen Sid's hand, the image of the book showed the pages ripping out, scattering into the wind. The image followed one page to a world that appeared to be a swamp, with music and magic running through it. "I've tracked down the first of the pages to this world, the Enchanted Bayou. Once you find the first page, the locations of the other pages should follow," Yen Sid answered. "For now, you can start there."

"Thanks, Master Yen Sid! That's just what we needed!" Sora exclaimed. "The next time we see you, I'm sure we'll have Ven with us! Let's get going, Aqua!" With that, Sora turned to the door, not looking back.

Aqua let out a small smile at Sora's eagerness. She turned to follow him but stopped at the door, turning back. "Thank you for this," she said, stepping through the door and trotting to catch up with Sora.

The pair found the Enchanted Bayou easily enough, landing in the middle of a town. Immediately, the sound of jazz music exploded around them. It seemed to be coming from a little way down the street, where a crowd had gathered. "Hey, Aqua! Let's check that out!" shouted Sora, who had already started running toward the crowd. With a slight chuckle, Aqua followed, curious to see the musicians playing the music. A movement in an alley caught her eye, but when she turned to find the source, there was nothing there. She shook her head slightly, blinking.

Finally, Aqua reached the crowd, joining Sora. In the center of the crowd danced a young man dressed in fine clothing playing a ukulele. He had a dark complexion with dark brown hair. A little boy danced beside him, keeping up with the tune. "Ashidanza!" He called out.

Suddenly, a short, rather round man broke through the crowd. "Sire! I've been looking for you everywhere!" he exclaimed in a British accent. He was loaded down with a number of suitcases, and he wore the attire of a butler or manservant.

Still dancing and playing his ukulele, the young man replied, "Oh, what a coincidence, Lawrence. I have been avoiding you everywhere!" After that, Aqua stepped away, missing the rest of the conversation, and pulled Sora with her.

"Sora, we need to start looking for the page in this world. Ven's waiting for us, remember?" Aqua said, and Sora nodded.

"Of course, we can come back once we're all back together and see some more of this!" Sora responded, a grin on his face. "For now, do you want to split up to look? We'll be able to cover more ground that way."

Aqua smiled, her eyes bright. "That sounds good. Let's meet up here in two hours with what we've found." A few minutes later, Aqua and Sora had gone their separate ways.

Little did Sora know, he was being followed. "So, a keyblade wielder has finally come, no doubt to find the page from the Book of Hearts. This is a perfect opportunity…" The witch doctor commented, his shadow curling menacingly beside him. Leaning on a cane, he made his way forward, catching up to Sora.

"Gentleman, a tip of the hat from Dr. Facilier…" Facilier greeted, tipping his hat and pulling a business card from his coat. He offered the card to Sora, who took it curiously. "How're you doin'?" He asked.

Looking down at the card, Sora read aloud, "Charms… Potions… Dreams made real…" Facilier began to lead Sora down a side alley, away from the hustle and bustle of the street.

Facilier took Sora's hand, examining his palm before saying, "Were I a bettin' man—and I'm not, I stay away from games of chance—I'd wager you're looking for something very special."

Sora blinked, amazed. "I am! You could tell that just from looking at my palm?" He asked.

"Oh, yes… That and much more. You're in my world now, and I've got friends on the other side!" Facilier replied, waving his cane toward a door, where flames lit up and illuminated a sign. It was Dr. Facilier's Emporium. Sora noticed that as Facilier spoke, it seemed like extra voices were echoing him. "That was an echo, young man, just a little something we have here in the Enchanted Bayou, a parlor trick. Don't worry…" Facilier took Sora by the shoulders, pushing him into the shop. He sat Sora down at a table, taking a seat for himself as well. "I can make your wildest dreams come true… I've got voodoo, I've got hoodoo, I've got things I ain't even tried… and I've got friends on the other side…"

"Wow…" Sora murmured, caught up in Facilier's act.

Facilier pulled out a set of cards, saying, "The cards, the cards, the cards will tell… the past, the present, and the future as well!" Facilier began to shuffle the cards before fanning them out in front of Sora. "The cards, the cards… Just take three…" Sora reached out, picking three cards at random. "Take a little trip into your future with me…"

Raising the first card, Facilier proclaimed, "Now, you, young man, are from the stars above…" Now, Facilier flipped the second card over. "You've been tossed through time, but those friends from the past have been split apart… You need to find the pages, the pages of the Book of Hearts…" At this, Sora nodded, a determined expression crossing his face. Facilier flipped over the third card and continued, "But, when I look into your future, it's your friends that I see…"

"You do? Really?" Sora asked, his eyes bright.

Facilier stood up, crossing over to stand behind Sora's chair. "Shake my hand… Come on, boy. Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?" He asked, holding out his thin, bony hand. Hesitantly, Sora took it. "Yeeessss… ARE YOU READY?" Facilier called out, and the chanting began.

((Okay, so first off, I'm sorry it took so long to post this, but I had a couple of issues with making everything work. This ended up frustrating me and causing issues with continuing the story. Anyway, I finally finished the chapter, and I hope all of you like it! I've got a set of worlds coming up that I plan on using, but I don't know if each world will take too long. I just absolutely love The Princess and the Frog! It's one of my top worlds for KH 3! Also, I didn't come up with the name for the world. However, I can't remember which fanfic/youtube video I saw that came up with the name. With that said, I hope to post the next chapter relatively soon, so goodbye for now! I hope you liked this chapter! Kkoko88))


	8. It Don't Matter What You Look Like

When Sora didn't return, Aqua began to grow worried, but she assured herself that he could take care of himself. Perhaps Sora had found something, and that was why he hadn't made it back to meet her. "Sora, I hope you're alright…"

Unfortunately, Sora wasn't exactly "alright." When he awoke, he found himself inside of a glass jar. When he made his way to the glass, all he saw in the reflection was a slimy green frog with spiky brown hair. "Woah! Is that me?" He asked, waving an arm. Sure enough, the frog in the reflection moved too. "And is that slime?" He added, pulling a bit of the residue from his now green skin.

"No, my fellow froggy friend. It is mucus," a voice broke in, surprising Sora. Sora turned, finding the owner of the voice, a frog in another glass jar. "Hello, I am Prince Naveen of Maldonia."

Having been a lion before, Sora wasn't too surprised about animals talking, but Naveen didn't seem to be a normal frog. "I'm Sora. It's good to meet you, but what's going on?" He asked.

"I do not know about you, but one minute I was cutting the rug, a fabulously handsome prince, and then… I am like this," Naveen replied. "When the voodoo doctor brought you here, he mixed some of your blood with what he had already taken from me, but I do not know why."

'What does he want with my blood?' Sora thought, confused. Naveen's voice broke into his thoughts, "As soon as he did that, Lawrence, already masquerading as yours truly, was able to use this sword that looked like a key. It was all very strange."

"A keyblade?" Sora exclaimed. "Are you sure?" It couldn't be… The keyblade was picky about who it chose, so why would this Lawrence be able to use it?

Naveen nodded. "That is what they were calling it. A keyblade!" He replied, pressing against the glass.

"That must be why they needed me!" Sora thought aloud. "See, I'm one of very few who can use the keyblade!" To demonstrate his point, Sora summoned his keyblade.

"Yes! That is the one! That's the same one Lawrence had!" Naveen commented.

Sora was certain then. They needed to get out of here. "I need to find Aqua! She might be in danger too…" He said, raising his keyblade up to unlock the top of the jar. As soon as he was free, he released Naveen as well. "It's been an honor to meet you, but I need to find my friend, Aqua."

With that, Sora hopped over to the door, but he was interrupted by Naveen, "Wait! It seems that we both need to find a way back to being human, so we should stay together! Your friend may be at the masquerade ball I was supposed to be attending tonight. You could start by looking there! And did I mention that I am fabulously wealthy? Perhaps I could use this to provide anything you want or are looking for…"

That stopped Sora in his tracks. "You could help me get something I'm looking for? I came here looking for pages from the Book of Hearts. Do you think you could get those for me if I help?" He asked, turning back to Naveen, who nodded nonchalantly. "You've got a deal then. First though, we need to find Aqua."

Naveen joined Sora, hopping over to him. "That is fine," he responded. Thus, the two set out toward the party. Eventually, they found themselves on a balcony looking out onto the night sky. "We haven't found Aqua anywhere yet…" Sora commented wearily. It took a lot longer to get around when he was so small. They could be just missing Aqua because they weren't fast enough. Naveen was about to reply when a young woman in a sparkly blue dress and tiara stepped out onto the balcony.

She leaned on the railing, staring up at the stars with a piece of paper clutched in her hands. "I cannot believe I'm doing this… Please, please, please…" she said, looking at one star in particular, the brightest one in the sky. After a moment, she noticed Sora and Naveen. "Very funny. So what now? I reckon you want a kiss?"

Naveen, being the prince he was, replied, "Kissing would be… nice, yes?" The girl shrieked, falling back into the room from the balcony. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I did not mean to scare you…"

The girl began throwing toys at Naveen, who continued to call out, "No! No! Wait! Hold on! Ahhh! You have a very strong arm, princess."

Sora had hopped forward, trying not to laugh, but the humor disappeared when a heavy toy crashed into him, knocking him off the balcony to the masquerade party below. With a shout, Sora fell into a pile of beignets. Thus, Sora missed the dramatic conclusion of the conversation. Pulling himself out of the powdered sugar of the beignets, Sora looked around, not sure how to get back up to the balcony. He was just about to work on returning to Naveen and the young woman when a familiar head of blue hair caught his eye. "Aqua!" He called out, hopping over to the keyblade master. "Aqua, it's me, Sora!"

Aqua looked around, trying to find Sora. She had just heard his voice, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. Finally, she looked down to see a small green frog with Sora's trademark spiky brown hair. Crouching down, Aqua held out her hands for Sora to jump into and asked, "Sora? What happened? Why are you a frog?"

Just as Sora opened his mouth to answer, two more frogs came flying from the balcony, landing on a set of drums. Chaos took over as the two frogs jumped and dodged the humans, running from a hound. "Naveen!" Sora called out, jumping out of Aqua's hands and catching up to the two frogs just as a giraffe head landed on them.

"Look out!" Naveen's nervous voice shouted, while the other frog shrieked loudly.

"Where are we going?" Sora asked.

"I can't see a thing!" The other frog, a girl, asked.

"Neither can I!" Naveen angrily replied. After a moment, the giraffe head got caught on a string of lights, throwing the three frogs forward into a set of balloon strings, where they began to rise into the air.

The dog leapt into the air after them, just as the other frog shouted, "Wait, Stella! Stella, it's me, Tiana!"

The dog, who would have caught them, froze, asking, "Tiana?"

As the floated further and further up, Tiana exclaimed, "Stella just talked to me. The dog just spoke to me!"

Sora chuckled, hearing Tiana's disbelief. "Well, we're all animals right now, so it makes sense that we would understand animals," he reasoned, hoping to calm the newer frog down a bit.

"He makes a valid point, and you know, if you are going to let every little thing bother you, it is going to be a long night…" Naveen responded, clinging to the balloon strings.

Aqua watched from below, curious. Sora hadn't had a chance to explain what had happened, but she was certain that he would continue to look for the pages of the Book of Hearts. She would continue searching here in town.

Also at the party was Facilier, who lowered his mask, exposing a dark expression as he watched the three frogs disappear into the night sky. A moment later, he followed the Naveen impostor back to his quarters.

The three frogs floated along for a while, with Sora and Naveen both explaining how they were turned into frogs. As they spoke, rain started to pour down and push the balloons lower down.

"Voodoo? You mean this all happened because you were messing with the Shadow Man?" Tiana asked.

"He was very charismatic…" Naveen answered, just as Sora replied, "He offered to help me find what I came here for…"

Tiana groaned, wiping some of the rain out of her eyes. "It serves me right for wishing on stars… The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work," she chided herself.

"Hard work? Wh-why would a princess need to work hard?" asked Naveen. Sora was silent during this exchange, listening to the two sides go back and forth.

Tiana blinked, confused for a moment. "Huh? Oh, I'm not a princess… I'm a waitress."

"A waitress? Well, no wonder the kiss did not work. You lied to me!" Naveen shouted angrily.

The conversation continued on for a bit, but Sora had tuned it out, keeping an eye on the bayou below them. He was snapped back to attention when he caught a snatch of something Naveen said. "Wait, you're broke? But… you promised you'd help me find the pages from the Book of Hearts though!" At that moment, the balloons started popping as they bumped into a sharp branch. "Uh oh!" Sora got out as they plummeted toward the water. Tiana was caught by a spider web, but Naveen crashed into her, knocking her into the water as well. Sora, on the other hand, was caught by a draft as he fell, one that pushed him across the bayou with enough force to knock him out. As the world faded to darkness around him, Sora saw a bright blurry figure come into view above him.

Back in Dr. Facilier's Emporium, Facilier stood before a set of masks. "Friends, I know I'm in hock to ya'll pretty deep already… but it seems our little froggy prince and keyblade wielder lost their way, and I need your generous assistance getting them back." He began, pulling his hat off. The masks made a bit of noise, and Facilier laughed understandingly. "I hear you! Now, what's in it for ya'll?" Pulling out a voodoo doll and a pin, Facilier continued, "Well, as soon as I dispose of Big Daddy La Bouff and I'm running this town…" Facilier spun, conjuring an image of the town. He chuckled darkly and continued, "I'll have the entire world of the Enchanted Bayou in the palm of my hand." At this, he spun again, dispelling the image and recreating it in his palm. "And you'll have all the wayward souls your dark little hearts desire…" He blew on the image, making the images of souls drift up to the masks.

Facilier chuckled again. "And, with the keyblade wielder, I'll be able to control the rest of the worlds, giving ya'll access to even more souls. Ya'll love that, don't you? So, we got ourselves a deal?" The masks seemed to deliberate for a moment before the biggest one opened its mouth, releasing a number of heartless that seeped into the shadows around Facilier, shrieking with delight.

Happily, Facilier began to laugh victoriously. After a moment, he proclaimed, "Now we're cooking! We're going to find ourselves some frogs! Search everywhere! The bayou, the Quarter. Bring them to me alive. I need their hearts pumping for now." With that, the heartless sped away into the night.

Sora opened his eyes to find himself in a wooden boat suspended up at the top of a tree in the bayou. "Owww… That was some fall," he thought aloud, gingerly rubbing a throbbing area on his head.

"You silly boy, you should know better than to mess with the Shadow Man…" said an old woman dressed all in white with black glasses. "Boy, you trained under Master Eraqus, so you should know how to sense sources of darkness in the worlds." Abruptly, she started walking to a pot at the other end of the boat.

Sora hurried to keep up with her, intrigued by the woman's words. "You knew Master Eraqus? And who are you? Do you know a way for me to become a human again? Also, do you know anything about the Book of Hearts and where this world's pages are?" He asked, but the woman hadn't replied yet.

"Juju!" She called out unexpectedly, and a spotted green snake dropped down. "Oh, you bad thing, come here!" She added, rubbing faces with the snake and kissing it. She surprised Sora by grabbing the snake and stretching it out into a stick to navigate with. "You can call me Mama Odie, boy, and I didn't just know Master Eraqus—we were great friends in our youth, always makin' trouble." Mama Odie chuckled, remembering her youth. Sora cringed as the snake was bashed into a number of items, but Mama Odie finally released it and sat down in a wicker chair, a slight smile on her face. She reached out and grabbed a cup of a bubbling green liquid whose fumes were noxious. "Want some juice, boy?" she offered, and Sora stuttered, trying to come up with a response.

"N-no thank you, Mama Odie."

"Too bad… this would have made you human again…"

"What? Wait!" Sora cried out as Mama Odie downed the drink in one gulp. She let out a relaxed laugh, enjoying Sora's reaction.

"Just messing with you, boy," Mama Odie confessed, still cackling. "Juju! Why didn't you remind me to start the gumbo?!" At that, the snake looked a bit guilty, even though it didn't seem able to speak. Mama Odie leapt up, agile for her age, and stepped over to the "gumbo pot," which was just an old bathtub. "Anyway, boy, the pages you're lookin' for are with me, for safekeeping, of course. Can't have people like the Shadow Man getting their hands on them."

"You have the pages? That's amazing! All that's left is to become human again and get Aqua!" Sora excitedly said, smiling brightly. "So, Mama Odie, can you tell me how I can change back?"

The old woman didn't reply, consumed by her task as she was. Sora had almost given up on Mama Odie answering when, satisfied with her gumbo, she said, "Boy, the only way for you to return to your true form lies with the kiss of a princess, but that's not the point." Unbidden, Sora's thoughts turned to a certain redhead from the Destiny Islands. "You already know of one, but you got to dig a little deeper! It don't matter what you look like, don't matter what you wear. She don't care! You all know what you want, what you want me to do, but I'll tell you what you need! You got to dig a little deeper! Find out who you are!" Sora hopped over to Mama Odie, starting to get the idea as she half-sang and half-gave advice to him. "You got to dig a little deeper! It really ain't that far! When you find out who you are, you'll find out who you need! You, boy, are full of light! You work and work to protect us all, but you don't see what you need! You say that your friends are your power, but they're much more than that! Now, you want the help of little Miss Kairi, but you got to dig a little deeper to see what you really need!" Mama Odie cut off there, holding out her hand for Sora to hop into. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Sora nodded, forgetting that Mama Odie was blind, and replied, "I do, Mama Odie! I need to find Kairi if I want to be human again! No, that's not right. I need to tell her how I feel!" A flutter of butterflies ran through Sora at the thought. He had been friends with Kairi for so long, but he had never really thought about her as anything else before. Now, he felt different when Kairi came to mind.

"That's it! Now, I think you have another friend in this world who you need to find before you go," Mama Odie congratulated, still holding Sora in the palm of her hand. "Off you go now, boy. Come by and visit again!"

Sora leaped to the wooden floor, looking fondly back at Mama Odie. "Thanks for everything, Mama Odie! I'm sure I'll be back!" He called out, making his way down to the bayou below.

He made good progress getting back, and he soon reached the main street of the town, where massive crowds were gathering for a parade that would start later on in the night. Sora scanned the crowd, looking for a head of blue hair, but he didn't see anything. Unfortunately, he also didn't see the heartless sneak up behind him. One of the heartless's hands shot out, closing on Sora's shadow and pulling him into the shadows of the night. With a shout, Sora summoned his keyblade, but he couldn't move his arms to slash at the heartless. After a moment, the heartless stopped in a dark alley, presenting the struggling Sora to Dr. Facilier.

"You've caused me quite a bit of trouble, little keyblade wielder, but you won't be getting away again," the witch doctor greeted. After a moment, he turned to the heartless and commanded, "Do not let him out of your sight, and I need his heart intact. First though…" Facilier moved forward, a charm in his hand. "I just need a bit of your blood for now. Lawrence can get anywhere with your keyblade in hand, even the most secure places."

Facilier was knocked back as a blast of light magic launched into the alley. "Leave my friend alone!" said a familiar, blue-haired keyblade master. The heartless shrank back at the sudden burst of light, dropping Sora in the process.

Pulling himself to his feet, Facilier let a flash of annoyance cross his face. A dark aura surrounded him, waves of darkness rolling toward Sora and Aqua. "That was a mistake, girl," he threatened, the heartless congregating around him. "You're lucky that I have a froggy prince to find…" With that, Facilier faded into the darkness, gone for the time being.

"Thanks, Aqua. That could have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up," Sora commented, hopping onto the main street. "Oh, I found a way to change back to normal! We need to go back to the Destiny Islands to do it though…"

"And you're worried about the other two frogs, right?" Aqua finished for Sora. Sora nodded, amused that Aqua could read him so easily. "Well, I think I have an idea," Aqua offered. "I've never tried it before, but Master Eraqus once mentioned a spell that acts almost like a trip wire for danger. Once the spell's been cast, you'll be warned if darkness threatens a person or place that you want to keep safe. It would let us know if either of your friends is in danger, and then we could come and help."

A smile worked its way onto Sora's face. "That sounds perfect! Let's not waste any more time then!" He said, his eyes bright with excitement. Aqua smiled back at her friend before closing her eyes. "What are you—?" Sora cut himself off as he sensed Aqua gathering magic power. Aqua raised her hands, light gathering into an almost solid form. The light burst, spreading out through the world.

Finally, Aqua opened her eyes, staring at her handiwork, which looked like a glittering net across the sky. She turned to Sora and crouched down, holding out her hand. "Are you ready?" She asked. Sora jumped into it, fresh determination on his face, and nodded fiercely.

"I am."

((A/N Hey! Listen! Haha, anyway, here's the new chapter! I hope it lives up to expectations! Things are pretty busy with school, so updates may not be super constant. I know, I know, that's what I always say, but I do have a life outside of this fanfic (not much of one though). I recently got into the InFamous series, and I'm planning a fanfic for that, but I promise I'll finish this one up! The point is, InFamous has taken over my life for the time being (man, do I love Delsin). To finish up, I love seeing reviews, and constructive criticism is definitely welcome! Until next time! Kkoko88))


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